Trial By Lightning
by Sleepysaurus Rex
Summary: Okay, what happened wasn't my fault. Yes, I persuaded my five other friends to camping without any supervision. No, it wasn't me who decided to go wandering off and accidentally find the bear. After that, I got zapped into a new world and a new body, and pretty much everything went to hell. My name's Cade Mason and I have one weird story to tell. (OC insert, T for violence/swears)
1. Chapter 1 (V2)- Endings are Beginnings

**Author's Note: I haven't died, and I've delivered the first chapter of the retool by my self-appointed deadline! This chapter is mostly unchanged from last time, but has a couple of improvements, so I'll release the second one too. The second chapter is a third of the old one, with the rest of it being new. The third chapter is completely new, and that's as far as I got, cause I had a load of ideas that I **_**had **_**to write the first few chapters for. For those of you who liked the later chapters, don't worry, I will reconnect to them, and improve them. With that out of the way, I will keep the first few chapters and the notice up until the end of October, just so people know that the fic is in a transition. After that, they will be taken down. Thanks for those who stuck with me and hello to those who are new to the fic! I hope you all enjoy this!  
**

**Polished version update: So, I'm going back through the ENTIRE fic and improving it. After a vote on the Discord server, I WILL be incorporating the swear words in here, as well as just ironing out the bigger plotholes and mistakes.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.****  
**

* * *

**Chapter 1- Endings are Beginnings**

Okay, what happened wasn't my fault. Yes, it was me who persuaded my five other friends to camping alone without adult supervision. No, it wasn't me who decided to go wandering off and find the bear. Right, right, I'm getting ahead of myself. My name's Cade Mason. I'm sixteen years old, about 5 foot 10 and have wild black hair that always does its own thing. I'm into fantasy with touches of sci-fi, strategy games and videogames.

That should be enough about me, time to set the scene. It was late summer, and I had escaped the vile clutches of school, essays and exams! Well, until September. I lived in a small, isolated town the north-east of Montana in North America. If you're a transformers fan, think of Jasper, Nevada, except larger and with more foliage, mountains and rivers. If you aren't, go become a transformers fan then come back.

Sadly, the town I lived in had a power cut, so no videogames. I know what you're thinking. Living without videogames, the horror! Quite true. Even chess and poker became tiring after the third day. No, it wasn't because I kept annihilating anyone who faced my knights and gambled away my entire stash of jelly beans (which we used instead of chips). Okay, it might have been, but I would have had my revenge! What's that? I'm getting off topic again? Oh, sorry.

Anyway, the it was end of day three without power and the boredom levels were reaching fatal. I was at my house with my five friends, who I hung out with so much that they were practically family: Jack, our fearless leader, Sarah, the only one who could sometimes beat me at chess, Mark, our resident poker master and amateur magician, Bob, the strong, sensible one, and Jane, the only one more excited than me about Halo: Infinite. Confession time: I was the second youngest. Sarah, Bob and Jack were 18, Mark was 17 and Jane and I were both sixteen, though I was a few months older than her.

Our not-so-merry band was cleaning out my garage, as we had actually decided to be productive with our time! We all thought was a great achievement. Turns out my family had hidden away some interesting stuff. We managed to find a battered PlayStation One, fifteen dollars "DIBS!", an old bicycle with a bent wheel and a six-man tent. It was the tent that captivated me.

"Guys, we have to use this." I said, holding up my prize. It was in surprisingly good condition too, no rips or tears in its surface.

Jack looked it over, identified it as a tent, then asked "You want us to go camping?"

"Yeah!" I replied with a big grin.

"Why?" Jane asked. "The power could be back on tomorrow, then we can go back to Call of Duty_._"

"Let's face it" I said. "We're bored out of our minds. Why else are we cleaning out my garage?"

"Meh, I'm for it, as long as we get permission." Bob said. Sarah and Mark looked at each other and shrugged. The two had been a couple ever since they had fought their first battle of Monopoly. Seriously. They bonded over freaking _Monopoly_. The others and I were still in shock, even eight months later.

"Let's vote on it." Jack decided. "Though if we vote to go, anyone who wants to stay can. Those against, raise your hands."

Jack and Jane raised their hands.

"Those for, raise your hands."

The rest of us raised our hands.

"Four to two." Bob said.

"Are you two going to come?" Sarah asked the losers.

"Yeah, I guess. There's nothing else to do." Jane said.

We all looked at Jack. "Okay, but only because you'd be lost without me!" he joked and we all laughed. We began to talk, then the issue about getting permission first came up, so we dispersed to our respective homes with a rendezvous of the local convenience store.

* * *

About an hour later, we reunited in the car park. Surprisingly, we had all been given permission to go. I guess that our parents were tired of us moping around. Mine had even given me fifty dollars to buy snacks, though I insisted that they were either 'supplies' or 'provisions'. Yes, jelly beans were on the list. Would I share? Meh, probably.

After Bob had given us a list of what we needed for a camping trip (gas burner, bottled water, that sort of stuff), we all trekked into the store and pooled our collected money. In the end, we got what we required, with some extra bonuses like a solar powered phone charger and Swiss army knife. I was put in charge of those two items and the tent, seeing as it was technically mine. Seeing as it was afternoon, we decided to wait until the next day before going out. However, we still hadn't picked where we were going to camp. In the end, we decided upon Glacier National Park after we saw its breathtaking scenery and 4.8-star rating on Google. Trusty Google, never letting us down, even if we had to use our phones to use it. Then we had to figure out how to get to the Park.

Eventually, we found Sarah's dad and asked to borrow his pickup truck for the trip. Again, we were surprised that he said yes, though he did make it clear that he only did it provided that Sarah was diving. I think there was also a sparkle of admiration in his eyes as he looked us over. We all knew that our parents all went camping when they were our age, so perhaps we triggered some nostalgia? Whatever it was, it got us a ride, so nobody complained. The sun setting, the six of us left for our homes, anticipating the next day. If only we knew what was coming, we wouldn't have been so cocky.

* * *

I woke late the next morning. Hearing honking outside, I hurriedly got dressed, grabbed my phone, the tent and the rucksack that I had packed the night before and hurried to my front door, pilfering a banana on my way out. Peeling it, I found everyone else in the Sarah's Dad's pickup. Taking a bite, I threw my bags into the back and climbed in the front. I wasn't sure what model it was, but _damn_ it was cool. Unfortunately, I got stuck in the back row.

Jack was up front with Sarah and Mark and said "Onwards, to adventure!"

We all cheered as Sarah drove off and Mark turned on the radio. It took most of the day to reach Glacier National Park, with several toilet stops. Fortunately, none of us got carsick, as I might have stolen the truck and gone on alone if one of them had hurled. Four in the afternoon revealed an absolutely stunning campsite. We were on a ridge that overlooked a massive blue lake ringed by snow-capped mountains clad in green conifers, reminding me of the Lord Of The Rings films. If Rivendell existed, it would definitely fit right in here. Someone whistled in appreciation.

We started unpacking and setting up the tent. Turns out, Jane had brought a radio/CD player and she put on one of my favorite songs, Ed Sheeran's Castle on the Hill, which we all began to sing along too. Good move, Jane. Eventually we got everything set up correctly and sat on the edge of the ridge, eating sandwiches and watching the sun seemingly sink into the lake. Orange beams of light streamed over the water and the clouds, dousing us in a warm glow. It was absolutely beautiful and to this day, I haven't seen many better landscapes. Yes, even after what happened to me, which we'll talk about next chapter.

The next few days followed without incident. We went hiking through the forests, took a drive down to the lake and swam and told stories and jokes. Every day, our parents called us to ask if we were having a good time, say they missed us and informed us that the power still hadn't been fixed. For once, we didn't mind. This was good enough for us. Jack remarked about building a cabin here when we were older, and I couldn't help but agree. This scenery just took your breath away.

* * *

It wasn't until the fifth day when we had a problem. Mark, Sarah and Jack had decided to go off together, leaving me with Jane and Bob. We were playing a game of chess, the two of them taking me on together. I was winning, obviously. I don't say that because I'm arrogant, it's just because I had much more practice at the game than they did. It was when the others returned that I knew that there was a problem. They were panting and out of breath, Jake missing his backpack which held a lot of our food. Not good.

Mark managed to choke out "Bear… big one… We dumped the food… to distract it. We need to go… now."

We all nodded. This was serious. A fully grown bear could make short work of us, no problem. After moving the Swiss army knife to my pocket (yeah, a Swiss army knife versus a bear, no contest), I shouldered my backpack and began to disassemble the tent with Bob and Jane. Absently, part of my mind wondered how a bear had found them. We had taken special care to clean up after ourselves and none of us smoked, but it could have been the scent of our sweat or something. Perhaps it was just chance. This was a national park, after all. Wildlife was free to come and go as it pleased.

By now we had taken out all of the tent poles and were folding up the canvas. Then we heard the bear roar and froze. That was one hungry animal out there.

"Come on guys, let's not get ourselves on the menu." I said, half confidently.

We would be fine. Except we weren't The tent was folded in its bag with the poles as we began to fill the truck with our stuff. Jack was on lookout duty as the rest of us hurriedly packed.

* * *

We were almost ready to go. _Almost._ Sarah was on the edge of the camp, reaching for the gas burner as the bear showed, uncontrollable hunger showing in its eyes. Jack yelled and Sarah screamed as the bear charged her, but the others were too far away to do anything. The nearest person to Sarah was… me. Then the stupidest of stupid ideas came to me. I ran toward Sarah, who was frozen in shock and tackled her to the side moments before the bear reached her. We scrambled up as the bear slowed, turned back to us and roared.

"GET TO THE TRUCK!" I yelled, realizing the bear had now switched targets to me.

The other four were at the truck as Sarah jumped in and turned the key in the ignition. The pickup started and the others yelled at me to get in. Hmm… nice, safe truck or angry bear? Hard choice. I did the sensible thing and ran for the truck, the bear charging at me.

I was almost there as I felt teeth wrench through my left ankle. 'Did it hurt?' you ask. Yeah, a lot. It felt like my whole leg was on fire as the bear dragged me away. I managed to yell out "GO!" to my friends and spin around onto my backpack. Frantically reaching into my pocket, I found the Swiss army knife and pulled it out, unsheathing the knife part in some desperate hope to defend myself. I heard the truck start moving as the bear leaned over me. I knew I was dead, whatever I did. Even if I managed to kill the thing, the wound in my ankle would not be patched up before I bled out.

Still, I wanted to live. And with that desire came a fierce burst of energy, courtesy of adrenaline. If I was going down, I was going down swinging.

Jabbing the knife into the bear's neck with an angry yell, I kicked at it with my good leg. It roared from the pain in its neck, blood trickling from the wound, but my kick didn't even budge it. After all, it must have been tons heavier than I was. But that didn't stop me from trying to defend myself, trying to grab the (now pissed) bear's jaws and hold them away from my throat.

I screamed in pain as I felt claws rake across my stomach, warm, red goop spreading from the wound. Blood. My blood.

My battered body began to shut down from pain and intensive blood loss. At least I managed to save the others. My last thought before the bear ripped my guts out was that the Percy Jackson books made fighting large creatures much easier than it actually was. Oh yeah, and that Mom and Dad would ground me for life. Then I lost consciousness, passed on, and became an easy dinner. Lucky me!

* * *

**Edit, as of 19/03/2020: **

**I had a few problems with this chapter, the most prominently that Cade just let what happened to him happen, without even trying to fight back. That needed to change, so the last few paragraphs will have had some new stuff added to them. As for the other issues... they aren't bugging me, so I'm gonna leave them be for now.**


	2. Chapter 2 (V2)- City of the Riders

**Author's note: The italics are either for emphasis or telepathic communication. You can probably decide which one it is. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 2- City of the Riders.**

Yeah, so I became bear chow at the ripe old age of sixteen while wielding a Swiss army knife. Always the way I wanted to go out. 'But Cade,' you ask, 'how are you still narrating the story if you died?' I don't know what happened or how it happened either.

I was freaking out, surrounded by darkness, vague flashes and images whirling around me. Jack, Sarah and the others driving home is shocked silence, eyes wide and unseeing. A smoky view of a graveyard, grey clouds pouring down rain on people in black holding darker umbrellas, their tears mingling with the dripping water. Five people sitting under a tree, heads bowed in guilt and sadness. It was downright weird. Slowly, I began to understand that this was the aftermath of the bear's attack. Bob, Sarah, Mark, Jack and Jane had survived. Thank goodness.

On the other hand, I was dead. Which sucked. A lot. The light and images began to fade, leaving me in total darkness as I managed to get a hold of my sane, logical brain. I wondered vaguely what afterlife I was in and what I thought about it. 0 out of 5 stars, decor gets boring after five seconds.

It was hard to tell how much time had passed, but I felt stuck in place, but not weighed down, if that makes any sense. It could have been an eternity or just a few seconds until a pinprick of light appeared and hovered in front of me. Finding I could move my arms, I poked at it, just to see what would happen. Now safety warning, don't go poking random stuff. It could be seriously harmful to you and kill you. Being dead, I didn't have to worry about that problem.

Touching the light, a blazing fire seemed to spread through me, like when the bear bit me, but with a difference. The bear caused a biting hot pain, purely because it severely damaged my nervous system by biting through me. This fire burned through me warmly, but it still hurt. I had absolutely no idea what was going on as my scream of pain deepened into a long, continued sound of rage and anger. Then I blacked out. Again. Great going, Cade!

* * *

I woke on my front in a large valley, with terrain and trees that looked rather similar to the one I had died in, except for the fact that it was late winter. Yup, I woke up. I'm amazed as you all are. Was I going mad and imagining it all, or was this some kind of rebirth? It was too soon to tell.

Something strange was going on with my vision though, and it felt like I was on sensory overload. It was as if the world was layered like in a 3D movie, with everything overlapping each other. I could hear three sets of everything, and for some reason, my sense of smell had been enhanced. Weird. As I tried to make sense of what was going on, I also noted that I didn't feel right. My arms felt way too long and my legs felt slightly shorter than they had been.

Trying to figure out what was going on, I looked to my left and found… the head of a yellow-gold dragon, crowned in spikes that swept backwards. My eyes widened, as did the dragon's. My visual problem caught up with me again and showed the same dragon looking at me on both sides, eyes wide and staring.

"_Okay…_" I thought. "_I'm going insane. Dragons don't exist." _

I had absolutely no idea what was happening. Shouldn't this dragon attack me if it was actually real? I tried to push myself upright, but my balance was really strange and I felt far heavier than I should have been. _"What the hell is going on?" _I thought, twisting my head around to try and look myself over.

What I saw simply didn't compute. The yellow-gold dragon was _right behind me._ I froze. So did the dragon. Looking it over, it was around the size of a house, with a wingspan the size of a football field. I took in _two_ tails ending in spiked clubs, giant golden wings with clawed, three fingered hands with what looked like thumbs, strong, powerful legs ending in large, four clawed feet.

Then I turned saw the long necks, spikes running down from the heads to the tails. Yes, _necks_, as in more than one. Two of them went either side of me, ending in the heads I had seen before. Only one question left. Where was I? I tried to look down, only to see the middle neck snaking up from the body and end… right behind my field- no, _fields_ of vision.

_"OH… MY… GOD…"_

There was only one way to check what was happening. I looked back at the dragon and raised my right arm. The dragon's right wing rose.

_"HOLY SHIT! HOLY FUCKING SHIT!"_

Then I started panicking. If I was still sane, I was a freaking dragon! And not just any dragon. I knew what this body was based off of, as I went to watch the film with my friends when it was released. I was the Devil with Three heads… King Ghidorah… from Godzilla: King of the Monsters.

To say that I was freaked out was an understatement. I barely had control of my new body, I still had the visual problem from the three sets of eyes (Though I was kind of starting to work it out, hooray!), and to top it all off, I had absolutely no idea where I was, why I was there, or how. Fortunately, I still couldn't get up and blindly run in my panic, which may have resulted in serious injury in my new form. Unfortunately, I had control of my voices. Three screaming roars of fear, anger and frustration wrenched from my throats, echoing through the landscape, making birds fly from their nests in fear.

"_Anyone who heard that must have peed themselves._" I thought as I wrestled with myself to try and not panic. _"Calm down Cade, calm down. It's gonna be okay. Get a grip that this has somehow happened, then figure out why. Breathe, breathe."_

Taking my own advice, I closed my eyes took in lungfuls of air. Then I stopped and wondered how that worked with three heads. Did each of my heads connect to its own lung system, or did my throats connect to form one system? Privately, I went with the latter. Unless anyone who actually knew what I was and could tell me about my new body, I'd go with whatever the hell I wanted. After coming to terms with what I actually was, I needed to start learning how to use my new body. Getting past the 'why the hell am I not me' point, I started to… enjoy what I had become? Undeniably, dragons are always awesome. After a few hours, I got my heads round most of my visual problems and tried getting up. Planting my two legs on the ground through the layer of snow, I used the clawed hands on my wings to stand like a wyvern. I was pretty sure that Ghidorah didn't have hands, but at least they were familiar.

Having mastered standing, I tried walking, hesitantly moving on limb at a time. It took a couple of slips and trips to get the hang of it, but it was basically just crawling. I could handle crawling.

After moving around a little, I spotted something unexpected. My rucksack, still bearing its contents of my phone, solar charger, jelly beans (score!), spare clothes and a torch, sitting on a bank of snow. I decided to ditch the clothes and take everything else with me. Using my left head, I grabbed the bag and hooked it on one of my back spikes.

"_Hopefully the strap won't break." _I thought as I took a good look around.

The valley that I was in was vaguely bowl shaped, like a huge crater. The evergreen forest that covered the surrounding mountains and foothills was blanketed with snow, displaying the branches of the trees in a beautiful white. There were lots of stone ruins dotted among the forest, the snowfall making them blend in to the surrounding whiteness. I could see giant halls that would easily accommodate me, ancient towers that seemed moments away from collapsing and some smaller buildings that looked more or less whole.

Rivers that would have flown into a large lake at the centre of the valley had frozen solid. The lake itself bore patches of ice, but was mostly clear. Around this lake stood the shattered remains of a broken city. The buildings were truly _gigantic_, each of them having the capacity to easily admit my new, golden bulk. They were most comparable to natural rock formations, such as stacks, bluffs and mesas, but all were broken. To me, it seemed most like what would happen if a city of skyscrapers had been built out of stone, then had various bombs chucked at it.

"_Where in the world am I?" _I wondered, taking in the scene.

"_Welcome to Vroengard, strange one." _a deep, male voice resounded inside my head. I froze in shock as the voice chuckled. "_Do not fear, for we wish you no harm."_

_"Who… who are you?" _I tentatively asked, looking around for the source of the voice. That proved nauseating with three heads.

"_I am Umaroth."_

That name sounded familiar. It was definitely not English though.

"_Where are you?" _I pressed.

_"I am in an __Eldunarí__."_

Oh. Oh no. This couldn't be happening. This new body was bad enough! I couldn't be stuck in a fictional world too!

Closing my eye and hoping for blind luck, I asked. _"Is... this... __Alaga__ë__sia__?"_

_"Yes."_

Right, so I was currently standing in the middle of a valley in a land of Magic and Dragon Riders from a fictional book series, with no idea how I had got here, and a body that wasn't mine. And to top it off, I had no way back home! Well... I was fucked. Severely fucked.

Wait… no way back home? The gravity of that hit me like a wrecking ball. I would never see my friends again! Or my parents! Or anyone that I knew and loved! They would all think that I was dead and my friends would be equally distraught and guilty! I would never be able to dance around my friends and taunt them with my better killstreaks. I would never be able to watch a movie with Mom and Dad and hog the popcorn again. I would never be able to prank one of my classmates or teachers and sit back and watch the chaos unfold. All that was gone, literally ripped away by a wild beast.

I threw back my heads, closed my eyes, and howled three long, painful cries, mourning my lost life as my shout of absolute loss echoed around the valley. My heads drooped towards the ground, and the sheer emotional overload reached uncontrollable levels. I began to cry, giant tears slowly forming a puddle on the ground in front of me. That reflection wasn't mine. Those faces in it weren't mine. And yet they were me. I had become... I had become a monster.

I don't know how long I stood there, crying with my heads drooped towards the ground, but I eventually felt Umaroth's mental touch trying to comfort me.

"_Why do you despair?" _he asked softly, obviously aware of my distress, but unable to discern it's cause.

"_My family, friends and home… I miss them." _I mumbled.

"_Why?" _Umaroth said. I imagine that if he still had a body, then he would have cocked his head to the side.

How should I explain this to him? This gaping hole inside me. The sheer sense of _loss_, despite coming from another world? No, I couldn't say that. He'd think that I was crazy. Instead, I'd have to simply manipulate the truth.

I took a deep breath and gave it a try. "_I come from a place called America. It's really far away and I can't return to it. I was kind of... exiled. I don't know how I got here, and I... I've lost everything. And I have no idea how to be a proper dragon. I can't fly, I can't hunt, and I'm just... useless." _

That was _technically_ the truth, but was a little suspicious.

That seemed fairly reasonable. No cruel reincarnation, no dimension hopping, no magical new body, no… future knowledge. Oh, fuck… I was going to have to be careful with this. If anyone breached my mind and learned what I knew, Alagaësia would be in deep shit!

Umaroth seemed to understand my issues, yet probably detected that I was holding something back. After all, he was centuries older than I was. "_You have my condolences. But how do you not know how to be a proper dragon? Surely your sire and dam would have taught you this?"_

I shuffled on the spot from the mental grilling, more tears threatening to fall. _"No. I... I can't. I'm utterly, completely useless." _

Umaroth seemed to pick up on my discomfort, and did something that felt like a mental hug. "_My apologies for my questioning, but we all wish to know more about you, including your strange form."_

_"We?" _I asked.

Of course, I knew about the other Eldunarí, but I had to act like I didn't. If _anyone _knew that I knew the future, even if their intentions were good, everything would be doomed. This reality jumping was a lot like travelling back in time. You will have extensive knowledge, but only until you start changing things. After that, everything happens a different way, one that you don't know the outcome of. Simply by being here, I was changing events, not necessarily for the better. I knew that in the novels, Galbatrobix was eventually defeated, but because of me, that might not be the case. In short, I would have to be _very _careful to not screw anything up.

"_Ah, I have given us away." _Umaroth half sighed, half chucked. "_Allow me to guide you so that we can meet physically as well as mentally. Perhaps we will also be able to assist you."_

* * *

After half an hour of walking around in curious confusion, I reached the Rock of Kuthian. It stood at the edge of a clearing surrounded by many gnarled junipers. Behind and above it, row upon row of snow-covered fir trees led up the side of a mountain, reaching towards the sky.

"_Do I have to do something?" _I asked.

"_Yes." _Umaroth replied. "_You must swear in the ancient language that you shall not reveal the presence of this to anyone, whether they are friend or foe."_

_"I don't know how to do that."_

"_Repeat these words. They will magically bind you so you can never let anyone know of what you want to see, whether you wish to of not."_

I nodded and repeated the lines. A sharp crack resounded as a thin, dark line appeared at the base of the rock. It ran upwards to a height that would just fit me, then split off to the sides, forming two doors.

"_Speak friend and enter." _I sadly commented as they swung open, thinking of the Doors of Durin that granted entrance to Moria.

That was yet another thing I'd lost. Books and films. Umaroth didn't comment as I crawled inside and began to climb down a large, corkscrewing passageway, the door closing behind me with a boom. The tunnel was high enough for me to walk through easily, but was almost pitch black. As a combination of my bad control of this body and the near-utter darkness, I tripped over a rock that jutted out of the floor, changing my walk into a roll halfway through my descent. What happened next comprised of a lot of collisions, yelps and curses.

Three minutes of tumbling heads over tails later, the tunnel spat me out into a large cavern and brought my painful descent to a close, flinging me to the floor in the process.

"_Ow..." _I groaned, my heads spinning as various Eldunarí chuckled good naturedly.

Looking up once everything had come back into focus, I saw that I was in a massive chamber, one side open to a lake of magma, providing a comfortable heat, gentle light and a thick, rough smell. Around the walls stood shelves cut from the rock, each bearing scores of eggs and Eldunarí. Being that this had only been a book series for me until recently, I knew of the significance of this place, but I didn't _feel_ it, which told me two things. 1, I was a bit of an insensitive asshole, and 2, I was probably still in denial that this was even happening.

"_Welcome," _an almost overwhelming chorus said, "_to the Vault of Souls."  
_  
"_It's... comforting." _I responded, taking it all in. "_Nice and warm."_

Before me, a figure rose and unsheathed his iridescent sword. It was a metal man, with the head of a dragon, who's name I had forgotten.

"_You have a robot guardian!" _I blurted, then mentally kicked myself. Idiot!

"_Are you referring to Cuaroc?" _Umaroth asked in confusion.

"_Um, I presume that you're referring to the shiny silver guy." _I replied, taking in every detail of Cuaroc's body. Yes, in a room full of living treasures that many people of this world would have killed for, I was more focused on a robot. Sue me.

"_Indeed." _Umaroth replied. "_Cuaroc is the Hunter of the Nïdhwal and Bane of the Urgals. He is our protector and guardian, should anyone who wishes us harm force entrance into the Vault of Souls."_

_"How was the robotic body constructed?" _I asked, intrigued.

"_It was created by Silvarí the Enchantress. She told us that she obtained the components from three crates, the metals of which neither she or us could identify, even through the extensive use of magic. According to her, they dropped from an orange portal that suddenly opened in the sky, then closed just as quickly.__"  
_  
"_Oh." _I said.

I had absolutely no idea what that was about, but it definitely involved the multiverse somehow, a matter that I was determined to steer clear of.

Time to change the subject! "_Why did you bring me here?"_

"_We wish to help you." _A new voice said. This one was female, yet still carried the same authority as Umaroth.

"_Why?"_ I asked, confused.

"_Because there is a new Rider in __Alaga__ë__sia, one who can topple the Eggbreaker King off his dark throne and restore order to the land," _Umaroth said. "_we wish for you to help him and his partner…"_

Okay, so I had to tag along with Eragon, Saphira and Brom, and not get killed. I could do that.

The female voice cut in again. "_You will also have a mentor to teach you our ways. If you truly are as helpless as a hatchling, we can't have our newest champion be unaware of our abilities and customs, can we?"_

_"Um..."_

_"I'll take that as an agreement."_

I sighed. "_Fine. Who will be my mentor?"_

_"I shall." _The female voice said. "_I am Islingr, which means light-bringer or illuminator in the common tongue. You shall call me Ebrithil, which means master in the ancient language. Is that understood?"_

_"Yes Ebrithil." _I replied.

_"You catch on quickly Strange One. What is your name?_

I paused. Cade wasn't a very draconic name, but...

"_Given this being... a fresh start for me, I believe that taking a new name would be in my interest."_ I said. No-one interjected on this, so I decided "_Call me Ghidorah."  
_**  
**"_Very well. Now take my heart of hearts, and let us begin your task." _Islingr proclaimed.

She guided me to a green Eldunarí around the size of a basketball, that sat on the bottom shelf on the right-hand side of the room. Cuaroc picked it up. I gave him my backpack, which he unzipped and placed my mentor's heart of hearts inside. Zipping the bag back up, he handed it back to me so that I could hook it over a spike on my back.

Rising, I looked around the room one last time.

"_Goodbye." _I said, nodding to the Eldunarí, eggs and Cuaroc. "_And thank you."_

"_Farewell Ghidorah. May the winds blow in your favour."_ the dragons said as I left the Vault of Souls.


	3. Chapter 3 (V2)- You have nukes here?

**Author's Note: I have been working on this chapter for a long time, and I hope you guys like it. (I watch some of the scenes from the HTTYD movies to help me with the flying scenes in my fic, as they're a really good inspiration.)**  
**Also note: Big thanks to Blaze1992, who gave the idea for the 'key', which will come into the story later. I expanded on the idea, but it's close to what you suggested. As for the readers that don't know what I'm talking about, you'll just have to wait and see what it does! (Author laughs evilly in the background.)**  
**As always, reviews are welcome. Enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
TOGDESTROYER: Thanks for your support!  
dragonlord174: I have said that this is more of a retool than a rewrite, but yes, this does kinda make it a different story. A bit. Hopefully, these starting few chapters will also show a bit more character in Cade/Ghidorah and make the trust thing much more realistic. Well, as realistic as possible in a world full of magic.  
ArchAngel319: Glad you liked V2, and thanks!  
Blaze1992: 1. They still have phones to use google. (If they were conservative with their battery life.) 2. After searching Draco from **_**Dragonheart**_** up, I do remember watching that movie a couple of years ago, but I forgot about it until now. Draco or Toothless would have worked as Cade's new body, but I think that King Ghidorah is superior in the departments of strength and firepower, which would be more suited to a medieval world… although Draco comes from one. If you're interested, Smaug was also on the table as an option. 3. Thank you for your honesty. I do feel that action scenes are my strong suit, not dialogue or internal feelings, but I am gonna roughly follow the storyline, so action will come later. And there will be a lot.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 3- You have nukes here?  
**

Going up the passageway was much harder than coming down. I could barely see anything and I often bumped into the walls. I cast my mind back to my time reading and re-reading the books. I was pretty sure that there was a spell that should have erased my knowledge of the eggs in the Vault of Souls, but I still remembered them. Perhaps it was because my knowledge of the eggs was beyond the reach of the spell, given that I had learned it back home, rather than in this new world.

When I finally reached the surface, it was a welcome reprieve. Sunlight shone down warmly as the doors in the Rock of Kuthian swung closed with a resounding _boom_.

"_It is good to finally be in the upper world again." _Islingr commented as I sat, recovering the energy I had lost in the climb.

"_How long were you down in your Fortress of Solitude?"_ I asked.

"_Since the fall of the Riders."_

I paused before asking my next question, knowing it was a sensitive subject. "_Were you... were you bonded, Ebrithil?"_

Great sadness emanated from Islingr. _"Yes… My rider was Visseren, an elf who had a great appreciation for the natural world. In the Fall, he avenged the deaths of many Riders, yet he eventually fell in battle against the Forsworn. I miss him still, even after all this time."_

_"I'm sorry for bringing the subject up, Ebrithil."_

_"Your apology is welcomed, but unnecessary." _Islingr replied. "_As a dragon, you have a right to know about our history, including the Fall."_

I watched on in silence as the sun slowly dipped towards the mountains on the west side of the island. A gentle breeze blew as a pinkish hue was cast upon the clouds and snow. Standing there, I felt at peace, happy and contented.

The stars were beginning to show before Islingr spoke again. "_You have learned the value of patience well."_

_"Sometimes patience is required to win." _I responded.

In reality, that was complete bullshit. I was still upset how I'd been ripped away from Earth, and I'd been moping about it.

"_Patience… and determination,_" my new mentor said, "_which brings us to our next lesson. Flying."_

_"F- f- flying?" _I squeaked out in a small voice.

"_Indeed." _I imagine that Islingr would have been wearing an almost evil grin as I shuddered.

"_I don't even know how to fly properly!" _I yelled.

"_And that is why I am here, my student." _Islingr said. "_Don't worry, this is not the first time that I have taught hatchlings to spread their wings. Unfortunately, given the circumstances, you will require a crash course." _I sat in indignant silence before she realised what she had said. "_My apologies, that was a poor choice of words. Nonetheless, most of flying is learnt on the wing, so take to the sky!"_

_"How?" _I asked cynically.

"_Oh, by the winds…"_

* * *

The next hour resulted in me making a lot of stupid motions with my wings while standing on my hind legs. No, I didn't overbalance and fall over. Not once. Finally, after talking through the theory, Islingr deemed me ready for takeoff.

"_Remember, keep your tails straight and your wings fully out."_

_"Yes Ebrithil… This__is mission control. Ignition in 5… 4… 3-"_

_"Just do it!"_

Rolling my eyes, I did as I was told, pushing off from the ground, hard. I beat my wings downward, causing gusts of air to swirl beneath me. Gaining height, I roared happily in triumph.

"_Holy crap! __I'm doing it! I'm doing it!" _I said in excitement.

"_Yes, now stop talking and keep on doing it, fledgling!"_ Islingr replied. "_Do not let yourself be distracted with that which is not important!"_

_"I'm not a fledgling, I'm sixteen!" _I grunted as I rose through the sky.

_"I have seen 329 summers. You're a fledgling compared to me. Now pay attention!"_

I didn't respond as I soared above Vroengard, humming Test Drive from How to Train Your Dragon. I could feel the air flowing over and under my wings, whipping at my faces and passing between my clawed toes.

"_Keep your legs up and your airspeed will increase." _my mentor instructed as I settled into a steady flight pattern around the ruined city in the centre of the island.

"_Ebrithil, what is the name of this place?" _I asked, one of my heads taking in the scene while the other two concentrated on flying.

"_This is Doru Araeba." _Islingr responded. "_Once, it was the great city of the Riders, the home to our order. Now it lies in varying states of decay, annihilated during the Fall."_

_"What caused _that_?"_ I asked, nodding towards a massive crater with my left head as I banked a little wobbly.

"_The sacrifice of the elf Thuviel when the Forsworn attacked Vroengard. He converted his body into pure energy which violently dispersed, creating an explosion that's cloud could be seen as far away as Teirm. We also believe that this caused a sickness to fall upon the island that has not lifted since that day, although the effects have lessened since then."_

I pondered this for a while. "_The cloud of dust that the explosion caused, did it resemble a mushroom?"_

_"How did you know?" _Islingr asked suspiciously.

I sighed, wondering how the hell I was supposed to explain modern technology to a 300-year-old dragon._ "Where I come from, we are much more technologically advanced, as nobody has the ability to use magic. We have carts made of metal that pull themselves called cars, devices that allow instant communication with people the other side of the country which are called phones, and an invisible encyclopaedia containing all the information known to us that anyone can access from anywhere called the internet._

_However, not all of our technology is used for good. We also have advanced weapons. I won't go into everything, but one of the most dangerous devices is called an atomic bomb, or nuke. When detonated, a nuke has the force to destroy an entire city in one blast, creating a cloud shaped like a mushroom. This weapon also released something called nuclear radiation, which causes this sickness that you know of on Vroengard. This radiation targets your body, stopping your natural ability to heal, which eventually makes you die."_

_"Were any of these devices ever used?" _Islingr asked, subtle traces of fear in her voice.

"_Yes." _I admitted._ "Many times during testing, but only two have ever been used in war. As time wore on, we made these bombs more and more destructive, over 1000 times more powerful. Originally, only my home country had them, but others soon followed their lead. Eventually, every country had enough that if they were attacked by another nation, the retaliation would ensure that both would be turned into wastelands. This is called a nuclear deterrent, and is why nukes have never been used in warfare since."_

Islingr seemed genuinely scared at the prospect of so many weapons of mass destruction. _"If the people of your home ever reach __Alaga__ë__sia-"_

_"They won't." _I interrupted with a sad confidence. _"My home is worlds away from here. I can't return, and they can't come here, even with all their technology."_

That seemed to satisfy my master as I swooped below a large, fluffy, white cloud. The last rays of the sun made a pathway along the surface of the sea and through the sky, glinting off of the snow-covered peaks of the mountains.

"_Now that is a beautiful view." _I commented, slowly banking away as the sun finally dipped below the horizon.

* * *

The next few days were filled with _torture._ I mean learning! Islingr was relentless on teaching me the fine details and specifics of flight. I did crash on my first few attempts at landing, one of which caused me to get my tails stuck in a massive tree, leaving me hanging high above the ground until I finally bit through the branches holding me up. Thermals were fun to ride, letting me soar upwards without effort. After that, defensive maneuvers were taught for if I was ever in combat with another dragon, which involved rolls, flips, loops and me losing my lunch.

Ah, that brings me to another subject. Snalglí. They are absolutely disgusting, yet something in my brain keeps pushing me to eat them! Yes, even though they are the most repulsive things to ever slither in this world. They are tasty, though. No, what am I saying! No they aren't! I hate them! They're disgusting! But- no! ARGH! Screw you, dragon instincts!

It didn't help that Islingr kept on pressuring me to start hunting, something that I was determined to avoid for as long as possible, given how I had died. Luckily for me, I could feed off of the lingering radiation that covered Vroengard, allowing me to stay active 24/7. Well, if the timescale here was 24/7. That made me check while attempting to play Fruit Ninja without scratching the screen, and my phone confirmed that this world did run on 24 hour time.

Oh yeah, I also got a chance to go through my bag and see what goodies I had, apart from Islingr's Eldunarí. My findings included my phone and its solar powered charger, a bag of jelly beans, 2 energy bars, a torch powered by two AA batteries, 4 chocolate bars (to be kept for something special), and a lighter which had been used for the camping stove, but it had wormed its way into my pack somehow, as well as five rolls of duct tape for any emergency.

I also had a travel chess set, which I must have grabbed when the bear was announced and stuffed it in the nearest bag possible, which happened to be mine, 100 meters of rope, 26 now useless dollars, and 2 sleeping bags, mine and Jack's. I could give them to Brom and Eragon when I met them. They'd need them more than me, for obvious reasons.

The last item of interest was something that I was sure that I hadn't had before. It was a golden... well, the best description would be a key, but it wasn't one. It was circular, around the size of a human hand. It had two parallel protrusions sticking out from one side, in the shape of the Energy Sword from Halo 3. On one side was an engraving of an Alagaësian dragon and rider, the latter happily leaning against a foreleg of the former. The other side displayed a gigantic floating rock above a forested valley. It carried mountains that giant waterfalls fell from, great swathes of trees, and in the middle, a city with massive towers, taller than skyscrapers.

What amazed me even more was the fact that the engravings _moved_, but very, very, slowly. On the city side, the waterfalls fell in slow motion, with various objects moving around the towers, too small to make out. They could have been dragons, helicopters or people on broomsticks for all I knew. As for the dragon and rider, they were happy to be with one another, the dragon looking down at the rider fondly.

I had absolutely no idea what this thing was, but I had a strong feeling to keep it, despite its strangeness.

* * *

Anyway, this was the day that I left Vroengard for the mainland, under rather hurried circumstances, given that my _amazing _mentor woke me up before the crack of dawn in a panic.

"_Get up! We need to leave now!"_

_"Five more minutes, Mom." _I groaned from under my wings, snuggling into them like I would into my bed on schooldays.

"_I am _not_ your mother, fledgling! My brethren have sensed Ra'zac, creatures of darkness, in the hometown of the new rider! You must protect him and his dragon! Fly! FLY!"_

That stirred me into action. I hurriedly got up, hooked my backpack onto one of my back spines and took off, my wingbeats thudding through the sky.

"_Guide me." _I ordered, climbing in a tight spiral until I was above the peaks of the highest mountains.

"_Our destination is Carvahall, a small town due east of here. To reach it, you must cross the ocean and the mountain range known as the Spine."_

I did as I was told, turning to face the rising sun. "_I'm going to have the sun in my eyes the whole way!" _I grumbled. At least there was no wind or storms to worry about. On the other hand, this made for a very boring flight. I could see the appeal of having a rider to chat with on long journeys, as my usually rather understanding master wasn't in the mood to talk.

* * *

The sun had risen to its zenith when I finally spotted Carvahall. The small town was nestled in a valley, everything blanketed in a light covering of snow. At the far end, a waterfall fell down from a cliff in the mountains to the valley floor, flowing into a river that ran past a small medieval village. The houses were made mainly of wood, with stone here and there on the lower floors. White smoke rose from multiple chimneys as the villagers scurried around like ants.

"_Land in the surrounding forest." _Islingr ordered. "_We will be concealed there."_

_"Yes, Ebrithil."_

I slowly glided away from the village. Finding a large clearing, I corkscrewed down, landed on my legs with a heavy thud and thrust my clawed hands to the snow, catching myself before I could collapse. Finally, a successful landing! I took a look around. The trees were too thick for me to tell where anything or anyone was, but I could _smell _many, many overlapping scents, far more than on Vroengard. When I first tried using scent instead of sight, it felt unexplainably weird. As a human, I had always relied on sight being my primary sense. Now, smell was the superior, which was beyond strange.

Brushing the snow to one side, I settled down on the ground, panting with my tongues out, like a dog.

"_What's the status of my two charges?" _I asked.

I heard a roar in the distance.

"_That would be them." _my mentor replied. "_The dragon is Saphira and her rider is Eragon."_

"_Gotcha."_

I took off again on weary wings. For the first time since I arrived here, I saw another dragon- Saphira. Her blue scales gleamed in the sky as she tore upwards, out of the forest, Eragon yelling in shock. As they gained height, they banked towards the Spine, with me discretely following by smell.

* * *

Saphira finally touched down as evening fell, the sky darkening. I was around ten minutes behind, so it took me a while to trace where she had landed. When I finally found what I thought was the right spot, I spiralled down towards the ground. This landing wasn't as graceful as the last one, resulting in what could only be described as a bellyflop onto the deep snow.

"_Cold, cold, cold!" _I shivered as I picked myself up and looked straight into the face of… a grizzly bear.

"_AH!" _I screamed, turning on my tails and running on all fours, crashing through trees in my haste to get away. The bear did the same, but I wasn't focusing on that. I just ran. Sure, it was irrational, as I was several times bigger than the damn thing, but I had been killed by one. That was more than enough to plant a phobia in me.

In my wild run, I stumbled across Eragon and Saphira completely by accident. I broke into a clearing that the two were sheltering in, saw them and frantically backpedalled. Unfortunately, the snow to caused me to slip and start falling backwards while my momentum propelled me forwards, causing me to crash into Saphira with a spray of white powder.

Then all hell broke loose. Saphira woke with a roar as I fell over her and rolled to the other side of the clearing. I hurriedly tried to get up, but only succeeded in tangling myself up as the blue dragon rose in anger and swirled around to face me. She roared again, grabbed my middle neck with her mouth and planted a paw on my chest.

We locked eyes and there was silence.

"_So who talks first?" _I asked nervously. "_You talk first? I talk first?"_

No response.

"Saphira? What's going on?" someone asked.

Both of us turned towards the speaker- Eragon.

"_For the record," _I said, "_I'm sorry for crashing into you two. Blame the bear."_

"What?"

I rolled my eyes and brought my other heads into view. Saphira let go of me sharpish and backed up, as did Eragon.

"You... have three heads." He said, shocked.

"_Typical."_ I grumbled as I rolled onto my front and got onto all fours. "_The first person I meet pins me to the ground, then the second points out my extra body parts. Great first impression from everyone there."_

_"You attacked us!" _Saphira pointed out. "_That's worse than what we did!"_

I sighed, hanging my heads. "_Like I said, I crashed into you by accident. I didn't mean to, and I'm sorry."_

"Who are you? Are you here to find us, or did you just stumble across us?" Eragon asked.

"_My name is Ghidorah, and I'm here to protect you two." _I said.

That seemed to stump them both, but Islingr said to me privately. "_Don't let them know about me or my brethren. It isn't the right time."_

_"Got it." _I replied.

"_Why?" _Saphira asked.

"_Let's just say that my bosses want you in good health and leave it at that." _I said, yawning. "_And I've been flying almost non-stop today, so please ask the important questions before I fall asleep."_

"_Is Galbatrobix this 'boss' you speak of?" _Saphira questioned me, ready to pounce. "_Does he want us? Are you bring us to him, like those strangers in town?"_

I should have expected something like this, but I was still insulted. "_I do _not _work that mad, murdering son of a bitch, or with the Ra'zac!" _I yelled in anger, my eyes turning a glowing yellow instead of their usual brown.

Saphira's eyes widened as I reined in my rage, the glow in my eyes dying.

"If you're here to protect us, then take me back home!" Eragon yelled as my rage cooled. "There are these strangers coming to my uncle's farm, looking for Saphira's egg. We have to go back and warn him!"

Okay, now that threw me. I was completely torn on what to do. On the one hand, the death of his uncle (Garrow if I remembered correctly), was the thing that spurred Eragon to fight the empire and join the Varden. On the other hand, I could save a life, but completely fuck up the timeline. Tough decisions were usually something that I was good at, but this was almost impossible to decide.

I asked Islingr, who thought on it for a moment. "_We asked you to protect these two. We did not say for you to protect anyone else. This is your decision."_

_"Thanks for being no help." _I replied sarcastically before looking back at Eragon.

I sighed again and lowered my middle head to his level. "_I'm sorry, I can't let you go. You're too inexperienced in combat to defend yourself, and I don't know how powerful these strangers are. Currently, I'm absolutely shattered from flying, and so is your partner. If we flew back now, then we would fall out of the sky. We'd also be unprepared if we had to fight and we'd have to rest before taking off again. We'd just be screwing ourselves over."_

Eragon bit his lip, but he nodded to my reasoning as I turned away. Neither Eragon or Saphira saw my guilty tears start to drip as I knew that I had just condemned an innocent person to die.


	4. Chapter 4 (V2)- Helping the doomed

**Author's note: Ugh... I'm really tired, but I wanted to put this out before I turn in for the night. Yeah, 3 days after the last chapter. I'm on a roll! Thanks to everyone who has followed and favorited so far, and as always, enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
dragonlord174: I think you meant Garrow instead of Brom, but yes. He'll die, as his death is what forces Eragon into action against the Empire and kicks off the whole storyline.  
ArchAngel319: The Seithr Oil thing **_**will **_**remain in this, don't worry!  
archerus01: As an explanation for why Cade's friends left him, most people make illogical and rushed decisions when they panic. Besides, they wouldn't have got up enough speed to ram the bear with the pickup and do much damage in the time that they had, and honking would just annoy it. At least, that was reasoning when thinking it out.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 4- Helping the doomed.  
**

I slept sporadically, often jerking awake at random intervals. I couldn't sleep easily, knowing that someone had died because of my refusal to act. Then again, knowing how many people had died in this series, I'd have to get myself used to death. That was a morbid thought.

At around four in the morning, I couldn't stand it anymore. I rose, made sure that my bag was firmly hooked on me, shook some snow off of my belly and spread my wings, ready to take off. Then I thought better of it, given that my two companions were still asleep, so I walked off until I found a suitable place to take to the sky.

Leaving the ground didn't leave my troubles behind, but it did give me a new thing to worry about, pushing other matters to one side as my stomach growled. How did hunting work? Reluctantly, I asked Islingr.

"_How do you not know of this?" _my mentor asked. "_I was going to ask you this when you knew so little of flight, but I have forgotten until now."_

"_I've lived a fairly lazy life to be honest." _I replied, a little shameful at the admission. "_My parents made sure that I had food, and I never really needed to fly anywhere. We could easily get anything we needed."_

I knew that Islingr knew that I was holding something back, but decided not to press me on it. "_Hunting,_" she began, "_is a dance between predator and prey. The predator must know that they are strong enough to win, else-"_

_"The hunter will become the hunted." _I interrupted.

"_Indeed. In hunting, stealth and speed are your allies, allowing you to be victorious. You must also…"_

The lecture carried on for quite a while. By the end, I understood the general gist of everything, but not many of the finer points. Eventually, my noses picked something up, and I banked towards it. It turned out to be a herd of deer. Due to the bear incident, I was hesitant about what I was about to do, having been on the receiving end of it myself, but instinct and growing pangs of hunger drove me to dive.

I stretched my heads down, each of them snatching up a deer and devoured it as I soared upwards again, trying to end their lives as quickly and painlessly as possible. I repeated the process several times, strafing the herd as the deer stampeded through the forest. It was a good test of my flying skill as well as an effective way to pick the animals off.

The final time I did it, I landed and swept my tails into the two nearest animals, breaking their necks. Then I grabbed the two animals in my left and right mouths and took off again, heading back to Eragon and Saphira.

"_You did well for your first time." _Islingr commented as I ascended.

I gave a low hum in acknowledgement of her words, but didn't say anything. Instinct and common sense told me that what I had done was necessary for me to survive, but I wasn't sure about it from a moral standpoint. I'd become the thing that had landed me here in the first place. Granted, these were just animals, but having to end their lives in order to feed myself weighed on me in a way that it never had before.

The only thing that I knew about killing was from books, movies, videogames, swatting mosquitoes (who all deserved to die), and my own death. Coupled with the more personal one was a whole bucketload of feelings. Pain, helplessness, fear, and more. Did I have the right to end the lives of other people there when the time came? I thought about my current situation. The needs of the many, overthrowing Galbatrobix and bringing peace to Alagaësia, outweighed the needs of few. If I refused to act at the right moment, to fight, to… kill, then I'd be failing the people of this world.

This did help to resolve my inner turmoil, but didn't cure it. I knew that whatever I did, I would still be morally conflicted, but ensuring peace, letting things happen the way they should, was the only way that I could come out of this and be able to live with myself. Perhaps with a few changes here and there, but if I did change anything, I'd need a _very _good game plan to come out on top.

* * *

I landed back in the clearing with a _wham,_ shocking my two companions into wakefulness.

Saphira growled at me as Eragon cursed, but both seemed to calm down when they realised that I'd brought them breakfast.

"_Morning." _I said, dumping the carcasses in front of them. "_Eat up."_

Saphira dug in with gusto, but Eragon hesitated.

"Can you light a fire so I can cook this?" he asked.

"_Fire isn't my forte." _I said, thinking of my new body's abilities.

Shooting lightning would be awesome if I could figure it out. I did have the lighter if I needed to make a fire, but I decided against doing so. Cooking would take a long time, so I rifled through my bag and threw Eragon the two energy bars that I had.

"_Unwrap and eat them." _I said as he looked at them, confused. "_They'll keep you going."_

He did as I suggested, Saphira grabbing the other deer and swallowing it whole as I stuffed the discarded wrappers into the bottom of my bag.

* * *

A couple of minutes later and we were ready to go. Eragon ripped his shirt in two, stuffed half of it under each leg and mounted Saphira. They looked over at me, waiting for me to take off.

"_My job is to protect you." _I said, staying firmly on the ground. "_You make the decisions, and I'll be your wingman."_

"Wingman?" Eragon asked.

I sighed. I knew that this wouldn't be the last time that some of my slang would go over someone's head.

"_I think that Ghidorah means that he's here to support you, not to be the leader." _Saphira clarified, looking at me for confirmation.

I nodded in agreement. "_Yeah, that's basically it."_

"Then let's fly." Eragon said unenthusiastically.

Saphira pushed off from the ground, _fast._ I did the same, a combination of a jump and a flap of my massive wings shooting me into the sky.

"_Fly low and fast." _Eragon ordered us. "_Time is of the essence."_

"_Understood." _I replied, falling into formation behind Saphira.

As she increased her pace, I matched it, the two of us going faster and faster. The ground below us blurred past, too quick to see anything directly under us. I knew that this wasn't the fastest I'd ever been, as I'd flown in an aeroplane before, but this was the fastest I'd ever been under my own power. If it wasn't for the fact that we were flying into what would be a murder scene, it would have been thrilling.

* * *

Soon, Palancar Valley was back under us. There was the village of Carvahall to the north, banks of cloud to the south, and fire below us. Eragon's home. Saphira dived towards it, with me right behind her. The wind screamed past our wings as we streaked towards the ground, only pulling up at the last minute and coming into land. Saphira did so at a run, gracefully transferring from sky to ground, while I was a little more… cavalier, ending up in my trademark heap.

The farm looked like a bomb had gone off in it. Knowing the resources of the Empire, that's probably what had happened. Wooden beams and panels were strewn across the property; most pieces being burnt or snapped in half. Soot and ash marred the pure white of the snow, tainted in some places by droplets of crimson. The barn still burned, thick, black smoke billowing from its doors, and there was nothing we could do about it.

Eragon half dismounted, half fell from Saphira in grief, but stumbled towards the wrecked farmhouse. As Saphira and I patrolled outside, it took all my self-control to not tear up at his plaintive cries for his uncle.

"_Sorrow breeds here." _Saphira said as we came to a stop in front of Eragon.

He looked up at us in rage and yelled at Saphira. "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't run away with me!"

"_You would not be alive if we had stayed." _She replied sadly, understanding that his anger came from his loss.

"Look at this!" Eragon screamed at her in fury. "We could have warned Garrow! It's your fault he didn't get away!" Then he turned towards me. "And you, _protector_. I asked you to bring me back and you didn't! You share in the blame!"

I knew better than to argue. For one thing, he was right. I'd refused to help, fully knowing the result of my actions. For another, I'd been through this myself, and I knew that he needed to deal with it in his own way. Anger was his response, as misery had been mine. True, my family wasn't dead, but they were _far_ beyond my reach, so they might as well be.

Eragon staggered out of the ruins of the farmhouse and down towards the road, Saphira following him as I continued searching through the rubble. A minute later and he'd raced back to the wreckage, having realised that his uncle was still here.

As we heaved some boards aside, something behind us rattled. I spun around and caught sight of a barely moving hand underneath a section of collapsed roof. Eragon ran over and began tearing at the wood, sending boards flying and uncovering an arm and shoulder. I came over and grabbed a heavy beam that was blocking the rest of the body.

"_On three." _I said, getting a firm grip with each head. "_One, two, three!"_

A grating sound came from the wreckage as I slowly lifted it upwards. Eragon dashed underneath it and pulled out a grey, almost lifeless body. It was covered in deep, ragged burns, chalky white and oozing pus. As for the smell, it was worse than that of death. The only way I could tell that the poor guy was still alive was the jerky rise and fall of his chest, showing that he was still barely breathing.

"_Murderers" _hissed Saphira, who had re-joined us by now.

"_More like butcherers." _I replied, my anger and guilt brimming at the sight of the burnt body.

"We can still save him!" Eragon protested. "We have to get him to Gertrude, but I can't carry him to Carvahall."

"_Who's Gertrude?" _I asked Saphira. I may know the general storyline of this world, but I couldn't remember each and every character!

"_A healer."_ my fellow dragon replied.

Eragon looked up at me while tying leather cords to a wooden board. "Can you carry Garrow?"

I nodded. "_Yeah, but it'll be awkward to position him in a manageable place."_

"What about you, Saphira?"

"_I can, but any more weight than him and I'd fall from the sky." _She replied.

"_Easy fix then." _I said to Eragon. _"Saphira can carry Garrow while I carry you."_

Eragon thought about it. "That'll have to do." he said, attaching the board to Saphira's forelegs.

I laid down, allowing him to climb onto my back. It was a strange feeling, like I had an insect moving over me, and I had to resist the urge to scratch the spots that Eragon moved over.

"_Are you ready?" _I asked him as he grabbed hold of the spike that I'd hooked my bag on.

"Go!" was his response.

I shrugged and leapt into the air, making a beeline for Carvahall.

* * *

Before too long, Saphira had to land, too spent to carry on. We touched down a couple of miles out of the town, on the dirt road.

"What do we do now?" Eragon asked, falling off me and untying Garrow from Saphira as she panted for breath.

"_I could walk there with you and your uncle on my back." _I suggested. "_But that would let everyone know that I'm here, which I'd prefer to avoid."_

"Being seen doesn't matter!" Eragon yelled at me as he dragged Garrow's limp body towards me.

"_It does!" _I responded. "_The Ra'zac- those strangers- they work for the Empire! If people knew about me, then Galbatorix himself would eventually find out, and I don't want to end up as a slave for the rest of my life."_

Eragon heaved the board onto my back. "Fine. Take me as far as you can. Saphira, find a safe place to rest. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so you're going to have to take care of yourself for a while."

"_I will wait." _she said as I started off, trying not to jostle anything Eragon or Garrow too much.

* * *

I'd covered a little more than a mile before I met Brom coming the other way. He gaped up at me in shock, not quite believing what he was seeing. I slowed to a stop, appraising him.

Eragon peeked over my shoulder too see why I'd stopped, and Brom caught sight of him.

"And just _what_ have you got yourself into, young man?" he asked, half awed, half questioning.

I took this as my cue to let Eragon off and gently lay Garrow on the ground. "_Call me when you need me." _I told him before taking off and spiralling into the sky.

As the ground fell further and further away, I thought about what was happening. The storyline was going… roughly to plan. And it sucked ass. I shuddered mid-flight. Why did this world have to have so much death in it? And there'd be deaths that I'd cause, directly or indirectly. Garrow would only be the first.

Fuck my life, death and new life.

Saphira interrupted my train of thought by contacting me. "_Ghidorah, is Eragon alright? I can't contact him."_

"_When I left him with the old guy doing the Gandalf impersonation, he was doing alright."_ I replied without humour. "_He's probably passed out from exhaustion."_

_"The man you left him with, did he have a long, white beard?" _Saphira asked.

"_Yup."_ I replied.

"_He is Brom, a storyteller." _Saphira explained, though I already knew._ "Eragon and his uncle will be safe with him. I do not know of this 'Gandalf' of who you speak, though."_

I chuckled a little. "_I really need to see if I still have my downloaded movies."_

"_What are… movies?"_

_"Err… they're kinda like moving pictures with added sounds." _I explained.

"_Oh. I presume that they are magic of some kind, then."_

_"What?" _I exclaimed._ "No, of course not."_

_"Then how does the picture move?" _Saphira asked.

I groaned. Why couldn't I have ended up in some universe with at least modern technology? Like Halo. No, there was the Flood there. Um… Mass Effect? No, too many guns. Thinking about it, I was actually rather lucky to have ended up here, rather than some other universe. I shivered at the possibilities. If I'd ended up in _Alien_… that would not have gone well.

* * *

Saphira and I woke up at relatively the same time the next morning. She tried to contact Eragon several times, despite my advice that he'd probably be out of it, physically and emotionally. After her ninth attempt in an hour, she reluctantly took what I said as fact.

The rest of the day, apart from hunting, I tried to figure out what the golden 'key' I had was supposed to do, if anything while Saphira flew overhead. It had no moving parts, there weren't instructions, it made no noise, it had no smell apart from the metallic one that gold carried. Perhaps it was just meant to look appealing? But why would it just appear in my bag? It had to be here for a reason. I just needed to figure it out.

I looked over the mysterious McGuffin in another attempt to find its secrets. The city side showed nothing out of the ordinary. The small dots still slowly flew around the towers, waterfalls and mountains in their usual Harry-Potterish way. I groaned in frustration and turned the thing over again. I was in for a shock. Now I'd met them, I could easily tell that Eragon and Saphira were the rider and dragon on this side of the key. But that wasn't all. Behind the pair was… me. Well, the new me.

My three heads crowded in the back of the image, trying not to take up too much space. I looked nervous and awkward, but happy, the way that I always did during photographs. My left head yawned in slow-motion, and the right one looked bored, but the middle one looked straight at me and winked, as if to say 'you'll figure it out'. Weird.

So… this side showed the main characters of this world, and those closely involved with them. At least, that's what I thought. As for the city in the sky, I had a feeling that it was a physical place, but not in Alagaësia. I couldn't explain why I had this feeling, but I knew it was right in the same way that at the start of a schoolday, you could just know that you'd somehow get into deep shit and be suspended for a week. What? It happened _once! _And it wasn't even my fault.

I slipped the 'key' back into my bag and sighed. That thing was more mysterious than a rubix cube. Resigned to a fate of not knowing what it was supposed to do, I contemplated what to do for the rest of my afternoon. My decision? Making a dragon sized snowman.


	5. Chapter 5 (V2)- Battle of Fists and Mind

**Author's note: I'm sorry that this is a little late. Usually I aim for releasing a chapter by the end of the weekend, but I got dragged off to London on Saturday and didn't start this until 3 in the afternoon on Sunday, cos I was working on another idea for a fic (which won't be up until I finish one of the three I have up here already). Anyway, thanks to everyone who read, followed, favorited and reviewed! This time: action! Enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
Blaze1992:  
I'm dumb for not getting Cade to use the 'key' like that. Your logic will be included in this chapter, but as for shapeshifting, doing a Fawkes and having phoenix tears would be a little too OP. I do have an idea for _maybe _including it, but it would be later on in the sort arc, perhaps not even this fic. Thanks for your ideas though!  
JustAnotherWildDragon:  
Thanks for confirming that the retool was a good idea! Yes, I'd love to be in my Cade's situation too, just without the dying for it bit. Yes, I'd miss videogames, but I'd miss my Lego collection more. I'm weird like that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 5- The Battle of the Fist and the Battle of the Mind.  
**

The next day started with Saphira slapping me in the faces with her tail.

"_The fuck was that for?!" _I groaned, opening three sets of bleary eyes.

Looking around, I could see that the sun wasn't even up from behind the snow-covered mountains, though the sky was the orange that heralded dawn and birds sang. Turning back to Saphira, I could see that she was smirking at me. Oh, and did I mention that I'm not a morning person?

I glared at her. "_You better have a damn good reason for waking me up, or someone's gonna die."_

Saphira lost the smug grin fairly quickly. "_Sorry. It's just… I'm concerned for Eragon. Are you sure he'll be alright?"_

Though it was, as I'd demanded, 'a damn good reason', I was still angry.

"_He'll be fine." _I grumbled, yawning as wide as I could with all three jaws, closing them with a _snap_.

Vague ideas of strangling Saphira crossed my mind before I decided against it. Islingr would have my scaly hide and Eragon would use me as an archery target.

It did help her situation that she dumped a deer carcass in front of me, and said "_Eat up."_

_"You're copying me from when I said that." _I complained, but I chomped down on it anyway.

I'd never had venison while I was human, but I enjoyed it as a dragon. While I was human. Now that was a phrase I'd never expect to hear myself say in a million years. I sighed and thumped my heads down onto the ground. The novelty of being a three headed-dragon had worn off, for now at least. I missed being human. I missed being able to walk around normally. And I missed having proper fingers on my hands. Playing games on my phone with claws was a nightmare, and I was terrified that I'd accidentally skewer the screen.

Once again, I took out my 'key' and studied it. Hang on… it was like a key. Keys had locks that they fitted, but you had to turn them to- I facepalmed my middle head. How could I have been dumb enough to miss this?

I stood up, holding the key in my middle head. I thrust it forward and felt it hit something invisible. I released the key and stepped back. The key floated in mid-air, completely unsupported. I'd finally cracked the damn thing's mysteries! Then I tried to twist it, only to be met with overwhelming resistance. No matter how hard I tried, it didn't budge. Brute force out, I tried asking it nicely, threatening it, poking it, and checking both sides again to see if either of the engravings had changed to reveal something. They hadn't.

Groaning, I pulled the key out of the air and dropped it back into the bag, quietly cursing. I knew I was close to finding out what I was supposed to do with the thing, but I'd either not been considered to be worthy, or I'd missed a step.

Irritably, I swung my bag onto its usual spike, told Saphira that I'd be flying for the rest of day, and took off.

* * *

The sky was cold today. Air rippled over and under my wings as I soared through the sky, trying to calm myself down. It worked, sort of. Instead of being angry, I became bored. Very bored. And a bored three-headed-dragon did not make a happy three-headed-dragon.

Islingr seemed to pick up on this. "_Is there anything that you'd like to learn, fledgling?"_

_"Erm… guarding my mind, I guess?" _I replied.

"_I can assist you with that." _Islingr confirmed._ "Shall we start realistically or be ambitious?"_

_"Let's be ambitious." _I said with three smirks.

"_Very well. There are numerous methods to learn how to protect your thoughts and memories, but I believe that this will be the most successful for you, at least until you can learn the more useful methods. Imagine the most secure place you can, surrounding your mind. It can be an island, a mountain, or a fortress- but something that you are familiar with."_

I pictured Helm's Deep, with me looking out from behind the innermost wall.

"_I shall attempt to break in. Envision my attack as an enemy army attempting to gain access to your chosen location, and defend yourself using whatever weapons you can think of. I shall give you five minutes to prepare. After that, we shall begin."_

_"You won't go through my memories or anything if you do get in there, will you?" _I asked nervously.

"_No, it would be a violation of your privacy if you do not give me permission to do so. Now, prepare." _With that, she withdrew from my mind, and I started to get ready.

* * *

Five minutes passed _way _too quickly, but it was enough for me to get some defenses up. Modern defenses. I could have gone overboard and create guns that shot Death Star lasers, with Halo Spartans as my warriors, but I wanted to see how real forces performed.

I'd placed various tanks capable of attacking at long range and gun emplacements lined the tops of the walls, with missile launching trucks behind them. On the plain in front of my fortress, I'd put down some Humvees and more tanks, ranging from light to heavy types. A few helicopters buzzed overhead, armed with large bombs, and two squads of three F-22 raptors patrolled the skies, ready to intercept any aerial units. It was rather like some real-time strategy games I'd played.

After summoning a dragon-sized coke and taking a sip, then I was ready.

"_It is time."_ Islingr announced.

At the other end of the plain, a miniature mountain solidified, around a hundred meters tall, a green dragon around my size sitting on top of it- probably Islingr. I gave three cheeky grins and waved at her, all of my units taking aim.

"_I am curious as to what your creations can do." _Islingr admitted. "_But that is not the purpose of this confrontation. Let it begin!"_

With that, she manifested her forces, which began marching towards mine. It was mostly human soldiers, around 100 foot soldiers in full armour, with about 20 cavalry units in light armour and 40 archers. There was also a unit of 10 elves behind the main force, which I assumed to be elite soldiers. So it was basically what I'd expected.

I manifested a speaker, set it to play _Paranoid_, and gave the order for my long range tanks to attack.

Several _booms_ resounded along the Deep, shells launching towards the enemy forces. I was glad that I'd set them all to have tracer rounds, because it looked _absolutely_ _awesome!_ The first volley took out a good number of the foot soldiers, mostly from shrapnel or explosives, although there were a few unlucky souls that had shells tear through their ribcages, which was gruesome in a spectacular way.

Islingr's cavalry scattered and began to charge, drawing the sniper's fire. Her elves ran forward and began healing the soldiers that could be saved. Her archers also advanced quickly towards my forces, in groups of two or three, minimising the casualties if they were hit. Clever, but it would ultimately be ineffective.

I watched the advance without much concern, looking for any hole in my defense. I seemed to be doing well, but there were some groups that were getting a little too close for comfort. I ordered my light tanks and Humvees to advance and open fire, which they did, decimating the remaining human forces.

By now, there were only seven of the elves left, along with half the starting troops. Each elf picked a tank and fired bolts of magic at them. Each targeted tank was destroyed, but effort of manipulating the metal did take its toll on some of them. One elf in particular must have used a particularly energy intensive spell, because he collapsed and was almost instantly hit by one of my Humvees, getting stuck to the windscreen. I smiled and flicked on the windscreen wipers, which repeatedly slapped him in the face as they went back and forth.

The other elves managed to destroy most of my Humvees and tanks, but they died in the process. With their threat out of the way, I looked around for Islingr's other troops. There weren't any.

"_Round two?" _I asked excitedly.

The battlefield started to clear, the burning wrecks of my vehicles fading away as the remaining ones rolled back to Helm's Deep. The remains of Islingr's army disappeared, to be replaced with a simply _huge _army, which took up an entire end of the plain.

"_Seeing how you handled my first challenge with ease, h__ow will you fare against 10,000 Urgals?" _came the impressed, but challenging voice.

"_Like this." _I grinned evilly, ordering my missile launcher trucks to fire.

Hundreds of white tubes rocketed into the sky and arced towards the Urgals, followed by hundreds more, and even more after that. I was cackling to myself by the time the explosions started and flaming Urgals were launched screaming through the air. Modern tech was _overpowered_, and I loved it!

A few minutes later and it was all over.

Islingr just stared at the destruction, her mouth open. "_You… You… How?"_

"_One more round?" _I asked like a hyperactive kid. "_Pleeeease? I'm not done yet!"_

"_…As you wish, fledgling."_

_"YAY!"_

Suddenly, a red dragon- three times my size, majestically swooped out of the sky, and I ordered all of my units to open fire. Tanks thundered, missiles whooshed, guns clapped, the helicopters chopped and jets whooshed in a symphony of utter chaos.

The red dragon rolled and swooped down low, setting fire to my missile launcher trucks and blowing them up, barely evading the tank shells. My gun emplacements did score some hits though, as did the miniguns on my helicopters. However, the most effective unit I had for this by far were the F-22 raptors.

The jets streaked towards the dragon, falling into one formation as they screamed through the sky. Each of the jets at the front fired two heat-seeking missiles, causing ten of the things to soar towards their target. The dragon managed to dodge all but one of them, which impacted on the tip of its tail, blowing it off. The planes soared past the dragon and arced round as it roared in pain, as did the missiles, reacquiring a target lock.

The red dragon attempted to fly away, but the missiles were _much_ faster. A couple of explosions later, and there was one fiery comet heading towards the ground. Just to be sure that the dragon was dead, I ordered my jets to fire everything. In other words, fourteen new heat-seekers and a lot of gunfire came out to play, causing the dragon to experience what it would be like to spontaneously combust.

I whooped in victory as the mental world slowly faded, replaced by blue sky and something large and dark. "_Yeah! Technology: 1, Magic: 0!"_

"_You… you have the best mental defenses that I've ever gone up against." _Islingr complimented me. "_You're unnaturally skilled, and your defenders are- MOUNTAIN!"_

Some frantic flapping later, and I barely avoided crashing into the steep rock face.

"_And that is why," _Islingr said breathlessly, "_that method is only used when you are not otherwise occupied."_

"_I think I got that part." _I deadpanned. "_You'll have to teach me the normal way some other time."_

_"I shall." _My master said as I circled around and flew over the mountain I'd almost made myself a pancake on._ "You must have every advantage you can get when facing your enemies."_

_"Yeah. Oh, and GG." _I agreed.

_"What does that mean?" _Islingr asked.

I groaned. "_GG stands for good game. It's quite a common saying where I come from, at least for the people who play games a lot. It means that the participants of a game have played well and fairly."_

_"Ah. Then… GG?"_

I grinned. "_GG, E__brithil__."_

* * *

The rest of the day passed peacefully. Until the screaming started in the afternoon.

I swooped below the white clouds, looking, listening and smelling for the source. Given that I had three sets of all of the things that received those senses, it was long before I located it. A group of Urgals, chasing a farmer, his wife and two kids.

The monsters were around two meters tall, held clubs, and reeked like a five-month-old cheese sandwich that had found its way into a gym class. There was no doubt in my mind about what I was going to do. I quickly launched into a dive and tore towards the ground, wind whistling past my wings.

The urgals had almost caught up to the running family by the time I reached the ground. Pulling up at the last second and stabbing my claws into the ground, I slid between the two parties and roared at the monsters in animalistic fury.

The 'oh shit, what have we done' look on the Urgals' faces as they screeched to a stop were absolutely priceless as I stalked towards them, my tails rattling like a snake's.

"_You want them?" _I asked the Urgals. "_Then you go through me, you half-assed orc wannabes!"_

One idiot made the mistake of throwing his club at me. It bounced off of my middle head and into the sky, but it was all my instincts needed to slip into attack mode.

My jaws shot forward, each of them grabbing an Urgal and biting it in half. The remaining ones dropped their weapons and ran as I devoured their comrades, not particularly enjoying the taste. They didn't get far as I bounded after them, picking them off one by one. Teeth flashed, claws slashed, and blood spurted as I ripped through the monsters as if they were paper.

It was only when I kept on pounding the last Urgal into the ground until he was thinner than paper that I managed to pull myself out of my new, primal instincts. Looking around, I saw that I had pretty much gone _berserk_. Clubs, tattered clothing, various body parts and pools of blood were strewn across the ground, like a tornado of death had struck the area.

Had I really done this? I was both satisfied and shocked at the level of violence I'd displayed.

I shook my heads, trying to clear them as the bushes to my left rustled. Slowly turning, I saw the family of humans watching me; the farmer and his wife with worry, and the two children- a boy of about 7 years old, and a girl who might be 5- with awe.

"Thank you, mister dragon!" The girl called.

I smiled. "_You're welcome, kiddo."_

The two kid's jaws dropped.

"You can _talk_?!" the boy asked.

"_I call it telepathy, but yeah." _I shrugged, my smiles widening at their expressions.

"Why did you save us?" The farmer asked, coming out of the bushes and towards me.

I looked at the carnage I'd created, then back to the farmer. "_Because it was the right thing to do."_

"Thank you master dragon." The woman said, curtseying. "We are in your debt."

I shook my heads. "_You owe me nothing. I just did what needed to be done. Why were the Urgals after you guys anyway?"_

"They're Urgals." The farmer spat. "Killing's in their blood."

"_True." _I replied. "_Do you have anywhere to go?"_

"No, sir." The woman said. "They burnt down our farm and killed the animals before coming for us."

"_Do you have any family that could take you in?" _I asked. "_Relatives or something?"_

"I have a sister who lives in Therinsford." The farmer said. "But that's leagues away from here. We'd never make it."

I tapped one of my chins with a claw while I thought. "_Are any of you afraid of heights?"_

"You're not suggesting…"

"_I am."_

"Oh, gods."

* * *

The sun was almost down before I landed in the edge of a forest that looked out over Therinsford. In that time, I'd learned that the farmer was Sven, his wife was Julia, and their children were Robin and Estelle. Their farm was in the Spine, in an attempt to leave civilisation behind, but in doing so, it was a hard life. In return, they'd leaned my new name, that I didn't have a rider, and that my three heads were, in Robin's words, 'strange, but amazing'.

"_Alright, we're here." _I said as I touched down, and laid flat on my belly, trying to be as gentle as I could.

Robin and Estelle whooped as they climbed down, their parents following after them.

"Thank you Ghidorah, for everything you've done for us." Julia said, looking me in the eye.

"_No biggie." _I grinned. "_You guys made my day... interesting, to say the least, but I've gotta go now."_

"Wait, you're leaving?" Robin asked, his eyes pleading me to stay.

"_Sorry little guy, but I have to." _I replied, lowering my middle head to as close to his level as I could.

"Aww." Estelle complained, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I want you to stay!"

"_I can't."_ I said as gently as I could. "_But perhaps we'll meet again in the future. You could tell me all about what you've been up to then."_

"Okay." She and Robin said, pressing against my snout for a hug. "We'll miss you."

"_And I'll miss you_." I replied. "_Be good for your mom and dad, okay?"_

"We will! Promise!" they said before backing away and scampering over to Julia.

"_Sven." _I said. _"There's a war brewing between the Varden and the Empire. Make sure that your family either stays safe and out of it, or is on the side of the Varden."_

He nodded. "I know that there's a war coming. Galbatrobix has ruled with an iron fist for far too long, and it's about time for someone to kick him of his throne. As for what we'll do, don't worry about us, we'll be fine."

I nodded and stood up, looking up at the darkening sky before returning my gaze to earth. "_I'd better be off. Flying in the dark isn't something I like doing."_

"And we must leave before night properly falls." Sven replied. "But before we part, I must ask. Are the Riders returning?"

"_Not to my knowledge, but we can always hope." _I lied, spreading my wings. "_See you around, guys!"_

Beating my wings, I took to the night sky as Sven, Julia, Robin and Estelle waved goodbye, then turned and headed towards Therinsford. I rose up through the sky, the evening breeze cool against my scales as I settled into a stable flight path back to Carvrahall.

For the first time since arriving in Alagaësia, I felt truly happy with my new life. I had the power to make a difference here.


	6. Chapter 6 (V2)- Fellowship of Something

**Author's note: So, this chap includes meeting up with Brom, then getting on the way, so we've kinda met up with the old section of the story, though I will go through the later (or is it earlier?) chapters. The trust issue has been fixed in a way that (hopefully) makes sense, some details will be changed, and everything will probably be better off for it. Enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
Blaze1992:  
After a little research, I do mean Self-Propelled artillery tanks. I call them sniper tanks because of the range that they have, but I'll go back and change it to something more suitable. As for the key, Cade can use it by himself, but he hasn't figured out what he has to do before turning it. Why am I not revealing the key's ability yet? I'm trying (and probably failing) to build up suspense or something, but it'll be revealed around the time when the gang gets to Teirm. I've also made my mind up for shapeshifting, and it's a no, sorry. I feel like it would take away from the unique perspective that Cade has by being a dragon, but thanks for the suggestions!  
JustAnotherWildDragon:  
I don't mind short reviews, I'm just appreciative that you left one!  
MoosHeadFamLit:  
Yes, I do remember you (GOJIRA!), and I'm glad you liked the last chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 6- The fellowship of… something.**

It was two more days of absolute boredom and going hunting until Saphira and I met up with Eragon and Brom at the burnt-out husk of the farm.

Brom, and I waited outside while the mourning rider and his dragon searched through the farm for anything of use.

"Eragon told me a little about you…" Brom began, staring at me as if he was still having trouble believing what he was seeing.

"_The name's__ Ghidorah." _I said, extending a claw-ended finger for him to shake.

"And I am Brom."

There was a long pause before I spoke.

"_You're gonna ask about the extra heads and tail thing, aren't you?" _I asked, looking at Brom with one head, watching Saphira with another and tracking Eragon with the third. It was a little like watching three TVs at once, but it was fairly manageable.

"Indeed. I have been wondering about you since we met on the road. I have never heard stories of a dragon such as yourself, and I wish to know more about you."

"_Stories. Riiight." _I grinned at Brom's surprised expression. "_What? I do know about the riders, just a little bit more than most people."_

Brom harrumphed. "I ask that you do not tell Eragon of my past. Besides that, you are dodging my question."

"_Meh, if you want it that way, then I won't be the one to end it." _I shrugged. "_As for my odd number of limbs, I dunno why I'm like this."_

"Are there others like you?" Brom asked. "Your parents perhaps? If there is a new species of dragon in Alagaësia, then Galbatorix may try to turn them into slaves to enhance his power."

_"Nah," _I said, dismissing the question with a snort, "_My__ kind are rare, but I'm aware of how dangerous that asshole is. There's no way in hell that I'm joining him."_

"Good." Brom said. "Although I am curious to know why you are with this young troublemaker and his partner."

"_Protection detail." _I said shortly. "_I'm supposed to keep them safe."_

"And why is that?" Brom asked, his voice turning suspicious. Well, more suspicious than it was already. "Is there someone who wishes to control Eragon and Saphira for themselves?"

"_Dude, literally _everyone_ wants that." _I pointed out. "_Galbatorix, the Varden will do when they find out, the elves, the dwarves, Surda, hell, even the Urgals will if they can get their claws on him. I work for none of them."_

"So there is another faction in Alagaësia, independent of the rest?"

"_Duh. You just need to work out what I've missed."_

Brom's eyes grew wide, and he spoke in a whisper. "The- the dragons?"

I nodded, flashing him a toothy smile. "_I'm not going to say more, because they're probably gonna throw a fit at me telling you, but yeah. Ideally, they want these two unsuspecting schmucks to kill Galbatorix, bring peace, and help free the other eggs and rebuild the dragon race, and I've got to look after them until they can. Until it's the right time though, they have to remain ignorant and make their own choices. So I'm basically doing the same thing as you are. I can testify that in the Ancient Language. Oh, and you'd better swear in it to not share the information to anyone._"

"You first." Brom said.

Luckily, Islingr provided me with the words, and I just had to repeat them to Brom.

His face visibly brightened when he heard that, a spark of hope fanned into full flame.

The rider turned storyteller barely refrained from cheering in relief, but he managed to regain his composure and took the oath. "It will be a mighty task for both of us, considering how trouble seems to be attracted to Eragon."

"_Yup," _I agreed._ "He's like a magnet for it."_

"What's a magnet?" Brom asked, and I groaned.

"_I'll explain that later," _I said as Saphira and Eragon came back over, "_along with some stuff about me that you need to know."_

Brom nodded to me before taking stock of the collection of items that Eragon had salvaged. Of course, I wouldn't be telling my companions the whole truth, only part of it- the same stuff that I told Islingr.

"What now?" The former rider asked.

"We find a place to hide." Eragon responded.

"Do you have someplace in mind?"

"Yes."

Eragon wrapped up all of his goodies in a bundle and started to head towards the forest. "Saphira, Ghidorah, follow us in the air. Your footprints are too easily found and tracked."

"_Good call." _I said, walking off to find somewhere to take off without breaking anything.

* * *

It took us over an hour until we arrived at the place that Eragon was leading us to. It was a clearing in the forest, with only just enough space for two people, a dragon and a fire. Not big enough for me.

"_Err, guys?" _I called as Saphira landed. "_Could you like, budge up or something?"_

Brom cursed, then ordered Eragon and Saphira out before leaving himself. "_Now try."_

I managed to land, just. The clearing was much too small for me, but some quick deforestation and terrorising of the local wildlife later, we were good to go.

"Does anyone else know of this?" Brom asked, desnagging himself from some half-flattened brambles.

"No." Eragon replied. "I stumbled across it one day with Saphira."

As Brom seated himself on a rock, Saphira curled up, twigs snapping under her weight. Meanwhile, Eragon started gathering wood for a fire.

"Would you light it for us?" Brom asked me.

"_I can't."_ I replied. "_I've said this to Eragon and Saphira, but I don't breathe fire."_

"Really?" Brom asked, intrigued.

"_Yup. I do something a little more... shocking." _I said, rooting around in my bag for my lighter. Finding it, I flicked it over to Brom. "_Try that. Flick the top upwards, then press down on the button."_

Brom did as I instructed, watching the small flame that danced on top of the lighter.

"Fascinating." He said.

"_Nah, just basic technology." _I disagreed as Brom lit the pile of logs and Eragon busied himself by making dinner.

It was only after the two humans had finished their meal, Eragon had been given Zar'roc, and he and Brom debated on what to do next, that I finally shifted my weight and cleared my throats. Not that I needed to, given that I could speak telepathically, but old habits die hard. "_Now you've decided on what to do, I guess that I should tell you three more about me."_

My companions turned to face me as I thought about where to begin, and how much to reveal. "_As you can probably guess, I'm not local. I live- well, I lived in a place called America. There are hardly any dragons there, and as far as I know, there aren't any dwarves or elves either. Are you with me so far?" _I got three nods in response, so I decided to continue. "_Because the number of magic users is incredibly low there, people rely on technology to help out with their daily lives. We have machines that we use for transport that can go much, much faster than the fastest horse, water that is piped to people's houses, things called phones that we use to contact each other, and we electricity to power it all."_

"What is electricity?" Brom asked.

"_Umm. It's the same stuff as lightning, but we use it on a smaller scale. I'm not sure how to explain it better that that, because I didn't pay much attention in Physics class. Anyway, that's not important. Basically, the gist is that technology there is much more developed than it is here."_

"Do you have anything to prove this?" Eragon asked skeptically.

_"Take the lighter." _I said. "_I could walk into almost any convenience store and pick one of those up."_

_"Wouldn't you be bigger than the store?" _Saphira asked as I silently cursed myself for losing focus. "_And wouldn't the people run when someone such as you arrived?"_

"_That's not my point." _I said. "_I'm trying to say that they're really common. But the most common piece of technology back home by far, is the mobile phone."_I fished said device out of my backpack and showed it off to my companions with a grin. They didn't seem impressed.

"Is this one of the devices that you said was used for communication?" Brom asked.

"_Yup._" I said.

"It doesn't look like much." Eragon pointed out.

I smiled savagely from all three heads. "_You are about to eat those words."_

The screen flashing on took Eragon, Brom and Saphira completely by surprise. Eragon jumped back in shock, Saphira growled, and Brom was wearing the multiversal expression for 'stunned'.

"_And that's just the start." _I laughed, tapping in my passcode and swiping through various screens. "_This thing is used to talk with other people via their phone, play music and movies, run games, take photos and connect to an infinite supply of funny cat videos through the internet. But that's a whole other can of worms."_

"A whole other _what_?" Eragon asked, looking like he hoped he had misheard.

"_Yeah, you're also gonna have to get used to my slang and stuff." _I said. "_Since there's massive differences between here and back home, some stuff I say will mean nothing to you."_

"This is all interesting," Brom said, "but it doesn't explain why you're here instead of back in… America, was it?"

I nodded and took a deep breath. This would be a tricky topic to navigate. "_Right, sorry. Erm… well, I was kind of… exiled."_

This was bending the truth a _lot, _but death could be considered an exile if you got philosophical. My companions looked at me with combinations of shock and sympathy.

"Why were you sent into exile?" Eragon asked in amazement.

"_Why would people do that to a dragon?_" Saphira pressed.

"_I saved my friends from having to go," _I said, "_but in doing so, I took their place." _That sounded much more heroic than what I had actually done, which was little more than be bait, but it sounded dramatic the way I'd said it. _"After that, and a little magic later, and here we are; a rag-tag company who don't quite trust each other and have lost more than most."_

That was a depressing thought, one which I tried to force out of my heads.

"_The people from your home, will they come after you?_" Saphira asked.

"_No. Getting here was a sheer fluke, and a one-way trip to boot." _I explained, curling myself up as I tried (and failed) to pull myself out of this pit of pessimism. "_I'm probably going to be the only one who comes here, and I have no way back."_

There was silence after that. The fire crackled and popped as the moon rose and the night became chilly. I dug out the two sleeping bags I had and tossed them to Brom and Eragon.

With a morose "_Goodnight"_, I laid a wing over my heads, shut my eyes, and tried to get some sleep.

* * *

The next day, I woke early. Lifting a wing, I could see that the sun was still below the horizon, throwing orange light across the relatively cloud-free sky. I looked over at my companions. Brom seemed to have figured out the sleeping bag, but Eragon hadn't quite got the hang of it, because he was in it the wrong way round, with his feet sticking out the open end. Part of me was amazed that he hadn't suffocated, while another part wondered how he could have been so dumb. The rest of me was trying hard not to burst out laughing and wake everyone.

With a quiet yawn and three smiles, I got up and stretched. It felt good. I knew that today would be a day of making Saphira a saddle, so I decided to have some time on my own. After scratching a message into the ground that I'd be back in the evening, I slung my backpack over its usual spike and waded through the forest to find a place where I could take off without waking anybody up.

Taking to the sky was rapidly becoming one of my favourite activities. The feeling of lifting away from the ground, away from being held down by gravity, it was just incredible. As the cold morning air whipped past me, I still couldn't quite believe this had happened to me. Being a human was all well and good, but being a dragon? It was an experience that I'd never willingly give up for anything.

The sun rose over the mountains majestically, it's golden rays shining off the snow-covered peaks. If I wasn't flying, or if I had a front set of legs, I would have taken a picture.

"_This is what it is to be a dragon, my student." _Islingr said. "_To others, you are death from above, a warrior on the wing, and yet you are also a bringer of peace, a saviour. However, when dragons fly, we leave all of that behind us. We see the world in all its beauty as we rule the skies. We ride the winds to wherever they blow, and if we do not like that path, we forge our own. Up here, we are our own masters, free from the responsibilities of the ground. Up here, we are-"_

_"Free." _I cut in, to Islingr's satisfaction.

I flew on in content silence for another half hour before I saw Saphira tailing me.

_"I believe that this would be a good opportunity for you to try some of the aerial manoeuvres I taught you." _Islingr said. "_See if you can get behind her. In combat, that would allow you to use whatever you have instead of fire to take your opponent down."_

I nodded, then started to gain height, climbing at a vicious rate. Saphira followed behind me, steadily rising through the sky. My plan was to do a stall, or something similar. Given that I was much larger than Saphira, and had more muscle and a larger wingspan, I was confident that I could get higher than she could. That would make Saphira turn towards the ground first, and put me on her tail.

My plan worked, but lather than I expected. It was only when I noticed the air getting thinner that it finally paid off. Looking down, I could see Saphira was struggling to keep up with me, her wingbeats becoming inconsistent as her body cried out for air. Far, far below us, I could see from end to end of the Palancar Valley, which stretched out between the mountains that guarded it.

I began to stagger in my upward flight. The lack of oxygen was really starting to affect me now. My vision was going fuzzy, I couldn't feel my tails and I had trouble thinking. This was as far as I was willing to go. Looking down, I could see Saphira had come to the same conclusion, and had turned back, towards the ground. I grinned, tucked my wings close to my body, and dove after her.

I cut through the sky like a bullet, air resistance pummelling me every second of the way. The wind screeched past me, rising from a whistle, to a screech, to a roar, slamming against my faces like a hammer. Transparent membranes slid over my eyes from somewhere to protect them from the intense force. I could see Saphira below me, a small, blue dot that was rapidly increasing in size as I hurtled towards her. This was fast. Perhaps a little too fast.

"_Err… Ebrithil, how do I stop?" _I asked Islingr with rising worry as I fell through the sky.

"_At this speed, it will be a little painful, fledgling." _She said. "_You'll need to extend your wings in one quick motion, which will be the painful part then make a large curve upwards. The large curve will help you deal with the effects of changing direction at high speed."_

Okay then. I braced myself, then snapped my wings out to either side. Saying that it was a little painful was a like saying a million dollars wasn't much money. I howled as the wind tried to rip my wings out of their sockets, gradually pulling up at what felt like the speed of sound, but was probably far, far slower.

I groaned at the sore feeling in my wings and shoulders as I slowed to a comfortable gliding pace. "_Remind me not to do that again unless it's absolutely necessary."_

_"I believe that this experience will be more than enough for you to remember that by." _Islingr said, humour in her voice.

"_Yeah…" _I said, gliding down through the sky. "_Did any of the riders manage to figure out how to go that fast, but safely?"_

_"I am unsure. Do the peoples of your home have a method of flight other than dragons? Those metal birds that you used as aerial defenders in our mental battle perhaps?"_

I blinked at the unexpected topic change. _"Yeah. There's planes, helicopters, spaceships. Probably more."_

_"And how do they cope with high speeds?"_

Ah, now I understood where this was going. "_Some are built to be streamlined and cut through air quickly. Others are just built out of strong materials. I doubt that either of those could be adapted to suit dragons though."_

"_Perhaps not. There is something you have forgotten though."_

_"What?"_

_"Your companion." _Islingr said as Saphira rushed past me, clipping my wing with hers.

"_You're 'it'!" _She taunted as she passed, slapping me on my left head for good measure.

"_That's cheating! I was distracted!"_ I yelled at her, launching myself into pursuit as she laughed a coughing growl and soared away through the sky.


	7. Chapter 7- On the Road

**Author's note: Holy crap, an upload the DAY after the last one! I'm on fire! Surprisingly, I'm writing some new material instead of re-using my old stuff. Well, perhaps it isn't so surprising, given that when I read my old stuff back, it's kinda crappy. As a fair warning, I probably won't update for two and a bit weeks, because I'm a little swamped in stuff I have to do. Oh well. Thanks to everyone who has read, reviewed, favorited and followed! Enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
Guest: That makes sense. Scale was a problem that I kinda left behind, as it would have been **_**very **_**dull if Cade had to get everyone to do stuff for him. That was an element of the chapters before the retool that I'd rather leave out. Just assume that if he's handling something small, it will be difficult for him to do.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 7- On the Road**

It was finally time to leave Carvahall. Saphira was saddled, Eragon was raring to go, and Brom was smoking his pipe, a habit that I was determined to make him break. I'd told him that over time, it would eventually kill him due to lung cancer or something similar, but he seemed not to care. Stubborn jackass.

Anyway, in contrast to yesterday, the dawn was grey and overcast, with a chilly wind blowing. It was an okay day for flying, just bleak. Saphira and I had to fly high above our two companions, in case they met anyone on the road. I'd raised the point that Eragon could ride Saphira while Brom rode me, but that idea was shot down faster than I could say 'idiotic humans'. Brom pointed out that he had to teach Eragon everything he knew about dragons, and would prefer to do so without yelling over a wind. When I asked why he couldn't do it telepathically, he said that being in constant contact with the mind of another person was considered impolite and invasive. So we were travelling the slow way.

In regards to said teaching, I'd asked Eragon to relay what he was being told to Saphira, who relayed it to me. Brom's lecture was both informative, and interesting, though I wondered how I'd differ from what he was explaining due to my unique form. I also noticed that Brom had left out the rather important part about a dragon's eldunarí, suggesting that he either didn't know, or didn't think that this was the right time to explain it.

Saphira and I hunted during our flight. She did so like a lion, stalking her prey before viciously striking. Her method was longer and more tiresome than mine, but was intriguing to watch. In turn, Saphira was fascinated with how I hunted, watching as I dove, glided while snatching up unsuspecting animals, then pulled up.

We also had to go and find something to drink, and stumbled across a small lake. My strafing method worked as well with drinking as it did with eating. I swooped down so I was almost touching the water, then lowered my left and right heads to scoop up water as the middle one studied the skilful art of not crashing.

I'd started filming short videos of Alagaësia on my phone, so that when this would all be over, I could look back over my recordings and remember what I'd done and where I'd been, much like I had back home. Of course, this had the added benefit of catching Saphira's attempt to replicate my drinking move, and her unplanned swim. Unfortunately, due to my sheer size, using my phone was a bit of a pain in the ass.

* * *

When we re-joined our companions, night was falling Eragon's first question to Saphira was "Why are you so wet?"

Saphira snorted crossly, and made her way over to the fire. Eragon watched her, then turned to me. "Is she hurt?"

"_Only her pride." _I smiled, showing Eragon the video I'd taken.

He laughed, then went off to comfort his partner as I curled up and watched everyone. The fire (courtesy of my lighter, which I'd given to Brom,) crackled and popped, sparks rising into the sky. Meat roasted on a spit over it, the mixed smell of the burning wood and the cooking food reaching my noses. It reminded me a little of the few times that I'd had barbecue.

Brom threw Eragon a stick shaped vaguely like a sword, with an order of "Defend yourself!"

Saphira and I watched in interest as Eragon stood and eyed his blade.

"_Want to make a bet?" _I asked Saphira.

She glanced at me, then back to where the two combatants were circling each other. "_What with? We are dragons. We do not require possessions to be happy."_

_"What about jelly beans?" _I asked. _"I'm putting five on Brom."_

Saphira's eyes went wide. After a rather embarrassing event, which shall never be spoken of in any way, shape or form, I'd convinced Saphira not to tell anyone by halving my jelly bean supply with her. From her first one, I knew that I'd created a monster. Saphira hoarded jelly beans like Smaug hoarded gold. Anything involving the things got her full attention, and knowing that I only had a limited supply of them, she was desperate to have more.

"_Done."_

I smirked to myself. Looks like I'd start earning my stash back. Now I knew how the bully in Back to the Future 2 felt when he got the sporting events book. With great power, comes great responsibility: a brilliant quote that I was completely ignoring.

We watched as Brom schooled and fooled Eragon in mock swordplay. The two stick-swords swished through the air, the two wielders attempting to hit each other. Brom was a master of the blade, and Eragon wasn't too bad, but he was no match for the former rider. Every third attack by Brom gave Eragon a bruise to add to his growing collection.

When they finished, Eragon collapsed on his sleeping bag. I could only imagine how he'd feel in the morning. Saphira and I began to laugh, our deep coughing growls rumbling away in the darkness as Eragon groaned and Brom smiled.

At least, Saphira laughed until I asked "_Where are my jelly beans?"_

Her horrified expression just made me laugh harder.

* * *

I was woken the next day by the smell of food cooking. That made me think back to the times when I was little, when my mom would cook eggs and bacon, and the smell would drift up the stairs and into my room. I sighed happily, savouring the memory. If there was one thing that I regretted more than anything, it was not being able to say goodbye to Mom, Dad, or any of the old gang. I wondered what they were going through right now. Mom and Dad would probably be distraught, and my friends would be blaming themselves for leaving, even though I told them to. Hopefully they'd all be okay, though.

Opening my eyes, I yawned from all three heads.

"Good morning." Brom said as he handed Eragon some kind of meat on a stick. The young rider looked like he'd been used as a punching bag for an entire football team.

_"Morning, guys." _I yawned as Saphira prowled around the edges of the camp. "_What's the plan for today?"_

"Therinsford." Brom announced. "We'll go in and get horses, see if we can find any news of the Ra'zac, and meet you on the other side."

"_Righto." _I said, getting to my feet. "_I guess that Saphira and I will occupy ourselves somehow until me meet up with you later."_

Brom nodded. "Stay out of trouble."

"_Will do." _I promised as I walked off, Saphira following behind me. "_See you both this evening."  
_  
We took off a good distance away from the camp, and rose into the sky. The weather wasn't much different than yesterday, but I knew that it was going to get worse once we reached the plains. Much worse.

"_Would you be against a little exploring?" _I asked Saphira.

"_Where to?" _She asked curiously.

I jerked a head towards a mountain topped with a battered tower. "_That is one of the old outposts of the Riders. It's called Utgard by most people, but if __I remember correctly, __it used to be known as Edoc'sil, which means 'unconquerable'. Want to check it out?"_

_"I do."_

We altered course, heading for the mountaintop. Circling it, we saw the true level of disrepair of Utgard. The tower was massive, around the same height as the Empire State Building. Large sections of the pale stone walls were missing, the cone-shaped roof was riddled with multitudes of small holes, and I imagined that vines would be growing up its sides if they could survive at this height.

It didn't take long to find a hole big enough to allow us to enter. It was at the base of the tower, and probably would have been filled by a wooden door while it was still in use by the Riders. Saphira and I landed outside.

"_Is it safe to enter?" _Saphira asked.

"_I think so." _I replied, peeking inside. "_There won't be traps or anything, but I wouldn't fully trust the stability of the upper floors. Apart from that, as long as we're sensible, we should be good."_

With that said, I walked inside and took a look around. It was a large room, big enough to hold a dragon three times my size. In the middle was a fire pit, which I presumed would have helped to warm arriving dragons and riders when they still occupied the place. There were two arches on either side of the hall, staircases that were big enough to accommodate me spiralling upwards from both, so they would form a double helix that rose through the tower. On the other side of the hall stood a half rotted set of double doors that sat on rusted hinges. Either side of it stood banners so faded and worn that I couldn't make out what they showed.

"_Which way do you think we should go first?" _Saphira asked me.

"_The door." _I replied. "_We'll check out everything on this floor, then go up to the next and repeat the process."_

_"Very well."_

Walking up to the door, I pushed it open with my wing, only to find the ancient wood come crumble under my touch as it swung open with a screech. The other door followed suit when Saphira nudged it with her head, allowing us entry to the next room.

It seemed to be a feasting hall, or something similar. Tables were scattered throughout the room, most of them overturned, while the rest were damaged far beyond any thought of repair. There was a large stone fireplace at the other end of the room from where Saphira and I stood, filled with ashes and cobwebs rather than logs. Over it, there was a faded image of three dragons flying towards a storm front, their riders hunched low over their backs. We poked around the room for a few more minutes, but we didn't find anything of interest.

As we exited into the entrance room, Saphira asked me "_Why is this place so desolate? I understand that it has been in disuse since the Riders fell, but to be in this state? Something must have happened here."_

I nodded from all three heads as we started up one of the staircases, drawing on my memory of the books. "_You're right. This is the place where Vrael made his last stand in the Fall. King Dickface showed up, there was a duel, and Vrael won. He was about to finish Galbatorix off when the asshole kicked him in the crotch, then killed him while he was down. After that, I guess that Galbatorix just looted the place."_

_"The Eggbreaker is without any honour." _Saphira growled as we climbed past a huge hole in the tower's side.

"_Galbatorix __has a stick too far up his ass to know what __honour__ is." _I pointed out as we reached the next floor, making Saphira chuckle.

Here, there were only large, empty rooms that I guessed were used for storage, so we went up to the next level. Again, it was just empty storerooms, so we went up another level.

That was where we came across the first thing of interest. The rooms that the Riders stayed in. They all followed the same general pattern; a bed for the Rider, a large, fireproof slab for the Dragon, and a few extras, like empty stands for armor, or shelves filled with books that looked like they were halfway to fossilizing.

One room even had various smashed sculptures in it, all of them made out of ivory. Judging from the remains, I guessed that they would have been around the size of a human hand. Carefully picking through the remains, I discovered that one of them was still intact- a dragon, ready to pounce. I carefully picked it up between my claws and studied it. It was in amazing detail, each individual scale standing out from the rest. After slipping it into my bag, I followed Saphira out.

The rest of the tower was much of the same. Empty storage rooms, rooms for the Riders, some common areas here and there. All of it was ransacked. When Saphira and I reached the penultimate floor, I stopped her.

"_Should we go further?" _I asked nervously. "_I mean… Vrael could be up there. __Galbatorix __isn't exactly one to respect the dead."_

Saphira considered the matter. "_We've come this far, so we might as well go further. And if he is there… we can pay our respects."_I nodded, and followed Saphira up. As we emerged from the staircase, I could see that this room was different from the rest. Apart from eight columns that supported the roof, and a fire that still somehow crackled in a large golden dish, this place was open to the elements. A cold wind blew as Saphira and I looked around, taking it all in. We saw gashes in the floor from sword slashes, parts of the columns that had been chipped off or broken by heavy use of spells, and… a blanket covering a humanoid shape.

Saphira and I drew closer to the body in silence. On top of it, there was a stone block showing a crudely carved message.

"_What does it say?" _Saphira asked.

"_Before I begin, remind me to teach you how to read later." _I replied, before taking a deep breath.

"_Look well, mine enemies.  
For here is an old fool,  
Who thought he could stand against me._

_May you look and despair.  
For he had power beyond power,  
And died by my hand._

_Look well, and see what happens to those  
Who oppose me.  
For they shall burn in the darkest pits for eternity._

_Spells have been placed to preserve his failure,  
So those who wish to rise against me shall  
Remember the day that the Riders Died._

_Galbatorix__, King of __Alagaësia."_

Saphira and I stood in silence, rage burning within us. Galbatorix had killed Vrael, took the crown of Alagaësia, and had the nerve to show off the body of the Leader of the Riders.

I turned to Saphira. "_This isn't what he deserves. We'll honour Vrael, and we'll do it our way."_

She nodded. "_Should we bury him?"_

I looked at the fire in the dish. "_I'm not sure on how he'd want to be laid to rest, but I think that the riders were cremated when they passed on."_

Saphira followed my gaze, then turned back to me. "_Do you know how funerals are done?"_

_"A little," _I replied, _"but not the fine details."_

_"Then we shall make do."_

I nodded and glared down at the stone tablet. "_This is going to be the first thing to go."_

We tried to destroy it, believe me, we tried. After taking it of Vrael's body, we clawed at it, bit it, stomped on it, tried to snap it in half, whacked it with our tails, but nothing worked. That probably came under King Dickface's 'preservation' spells. Sadistic fucker. In the end, Saphira flicked it up into the air and I swung one of my mace-like tails at it like a baseball bat. To our satisfaction, the thing flew of like a _rocket _and we roared in victory. I can happily say that it _definitely _broke the sound barrier, sonic boom and all. Perhaps I'd channelled a little dragon magic without realising it, but I was just happy to see the thing gone.

The sun peered out from behind the clouds as we turned to the body, as if Galbatorix's tablet was a curse we had dispelled. Between us, we managed to pick it up fairly gently. Together, we carried it over to the fire and gently lowered it into the flames. Backing away a little, Saphira and I watched as the body caught the flames and started to change to ash.

"_What now?" _Saphira asked.

"_Usually, it's customary to say a few words." _I said. "_But since we can't talk out loud, perhaps we could carve a message instead. Then everyone would know what actually happened here."_

"_Then we shall need something large enough to write on."_

_"How about the floor?" _I proposed. "_Nobody could get rid of it then."_

_"A good idea. But what should we write?"_

We went over a few renditions before we came up with this:

_Here, a great elf fell.  
Vrael, Rider of Umaroth.  
Leader of the Dragon Riders.  
Bane of Galbatorix._

_Here, he took his final stand.  
He fought with honour and bravery.  
May his name live in legend,  
And his memory never die._

_We are sorry,  
That you had to wait so long to be laid to rest,  
But we are glad to be the ones who have given you it.  
Fear not, for we shall ensure that your legacy shall survive._

_Goodbye Great One,  
Saphira, partner of Eragon, and Ghidorah, The One Who is Many._

We stayed there until the sun set behind the mountains that evening, paying our respects to the greatest Rider to have lived.


	8. Chapter 8- Zappy-Go-Lucky

**Author's note: I've just come home from trying scuba diving, and I'm going to upload this now because I have some free time. This chapter grafts on rather smoothly to the stuff I've already done, which is good. I still have to go through the next few chapters and maybe make some edits and improvements, but apart from that, we should be good! Also, THE OLD CHAPTERS ARE COMING DOWN ****BY**** THURSDAY, so if you want to go back and see how bad they were, have fun! Anyway, thanks to everyone who has RRFFed (Read, Reviewed, Favouited, Followed). Enjoy!**

**The second note (Written around half an hour after the first one): Okay, so I've gone through the next few chapters and found them to be 'mostly okay'. Because of that, there's not much original stuff in them. I originally planned to upload them all at once because of this, but since I have a lot of work to do I'll upload them one at a time so that I can get that done, then write new stuff. This leaves with around three weeks to sort myself out, as I have three chapters ready. I hope you guys understand, as writing is a hobby for me, and other stuff will come first if it has to.**

**In response to reviews:  
ArchAngel319:  
I'm glad you liked the jelly beans thing. Some dragons hoard gold, my dragons hoard jelly beans. Yes, it will be a repeated thing. As for Cade/Ghidorah and Saphira hanging out, there will definitely be more of that. Since they're both dragons, they're going to have to stick together while Eragon and Brom do their stuff, and I want them to have their own, unique experiences. As for the Utgard side trip, I'm really glad that it worked. I don't think I'm very good at writing emotional scenes, so I really appreciate having confirmation that I did it right. Also, hooray for being original!  
MoosHeadFamLit:  
Yup. Well, he would if the Ra'zac don't kill him.  
Wizzer96:  
Thanks, I'm glad you enjoyed the Cade/Ghidorah and Saphira friendship. And yes, our three-headed-hero will have his claws full later on. I'm just trying to decide whether their relationship should be romantic (which I will have to research how to write, cuz I have no idea how to do it), or a more brother-sister type thing. I'd like to hear what everyone thinks!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

* * *

**Chapter 8- Zappy-Go-Lucky.**

Saphira and I found Eragon and Brom as the moon rose. They were cooking their dinner on a plateau overlooking a large, tan plain, two horses tethered to a tree. Saphira landed gracefully, swooping down and transitioning to running on all fours. My decent was much more… direct. I dove, then pulled up at the last second, beating my wings until my legs touched the ground. I then leaned forward, intending to catch myself on my claws. What actually happened was that I didn't put my hands underneath myself fast enough and collapsed onto my front, my three heads hitting the ground at the same time, which gave me a massive headache.

I groaned pitifully as Eragon and Saphira laughed. "_Not a word."_

"Not a word is your very antithesis!" Brom thundered at me, standing as I picked myself up.

I was taken aback by his fury. What had I done to deserve this?

"When we were looking for news of the Ra'zac, guess what we heard!" Brom yelled. "Go on, guess!"

"_Offers for classes about learning how to yell at people?"_ I asked innocently. "_I think you might have taken them."_

Brom turned red, but managed to contain himself. "Oh no, only wild rumours about a massive, three-headed dragon!"

My mind raced as I tried to connect the dots. Brom had got this news from Therinsford… where Sven, Julia, Robin and Estelle now lived!

"_Okay, I can explain that." _I conceded.

"Then do so."

I did, explaining how I'd come across the family and the Urgals, and what I'd done after that. Brom calmed down a little, seeing that I'd revealed myself with good intentions, but he was still angry.

"What you've done is both a blessing and a curse." The former rider decided.

"_Err… how?" _I asked, cocking my heads to the side.

"I'll start with the positives." Brom began. "One, it shows that you care about other people, which is both a strength and a weakness. Two, you'll divert some attention off of Eragon and Saphira. Three, the Ra'zac might come after you, leading them to us, though we'll keep on going as we are until I can determine that. Four, it shows you that your actions have consequences.

As for the negatives, you've announced yourself to the world, so Galbatorix himself might come after you to turn you to his side, or he'll send out soldiers to find and kill you, so that he has one less threat to his rule. Expect the entire empire to be dangerous. You should also expect a lot more attention from normal people, as you seem determined to turn yourself into a champion for them."

Brom paused to let me digest what he'd said.

"_So in short," _I summarised, "_I've proved myself to be able to take care of myself and others, have made the world a little less dangerous for my charges, have accidentally made myself a celebrity, and have been reminded of an internet meme_ _that will probably be outdated if I ever go home_."

"At the cost of your own safety, and for the parts I understand, then yes." Brom conceded.

I shrugged. "_If you knew me before I got here, you'd know that my own safety doesn't matter if I can help someone else out."_

Brom harrumphed, then turned in for the night.

"They're calling you The Golden Guardian." Eragon said, looking over at me as he scratched Saphira absent-mindedly.

"_Really?" _I asked, slightly amazed. "_That's an awesome nickname."_

Eragon nodded. "Did you really kill 40 Urgals?"

"_40?" _I spluttered. "_Where did you get that number from? There were only around 10!"_

"It's what people were saying." The young rider shrugged.

"_Well that shows the power of rumours, I guess." _I said, curling up for the night. "_Words of wisdom here: don't believe everything you read or hear. Always try to see if the source of the information is viable. Even then, facts can be distorted, as we've found out."_

* * *

The next day marked the start of a cycle of the days blurring together. Our basic routine turned into a rather dull life. Saphira and I slept the nights, flew off and hunted in the day, then re-joined Eragon and Brom in the evening. Rinse and repeat.

In our spare time, I started to teach Saphira how to read by scratching various letters and simple words into the dirt, and because of the annoying wind, I started acting as a shelter in the evenings. The feeling of the wind rushing past me was just like how it was when I was flying, except it blew backwards, which was a little disorienting, but it made me feel like I was contributing to our quest.

After our trip to Utgard, Saphira and I got on much better than before. During our flights, we'd often tell jokes and ask each other riddles. I officially sucked at riddles, being a more literal thinker, but Saphira was very, very,good. As for jokes, I struggled to find some that Saphira would understand, and the ones that I adapted weren't that great. My best one was 'You don't need wings to fly. You need wings to fly _twice_', which almost made her fall out of the sky from laughing.

In contrast to riddles, I utterly destroyed her at chess, after challenging my companions to take me on. Surprisingly, chess did exist here, though it wasn't seen as more than a game, whereas some people played it as a career back home. Brom was very strategic in his play style, often attempting to outmanoeuvre me, yet failing most times. Eragon went for a more guerrilla method, sacrificing most of his pieces in pursuit of victory. Saphira had played me once and failed miserably, though we did assure her that practice made perfect. Eragon had started to play against her, as Brom said that this would be a good training exercise for both of them.

* * *

It was the third morning since setting out from the plateau, and the plains were getting dull. Black clouds were starting to gather as Saphira and I took off. Brom had said that we would be in for a storm by the end of the day, so we might as well try to get some distance covered. Of course, I knew that, and I remembered the severity of it in the book, so I decided to leave my rucksack with Brom and Eragon while I flew. The gathering storm clouds somehow made me tense in anticipation, which concerned me as much as the storm itself. Looking back down, I watched the specs of Eragon and Brom tense, looking towards the storm.

Saphira suddenly dived and I heard Eragon in my mind yelling _"Land!"_

The wind hit me before I could respond, trying to toss me to the ground. Lightning started flashing and thunder boomed in response. I should have been terrified. In this position, I could easily be the target for a lightning strike, but the fear seemed silly and irrational, like a small child being afraid of the dark. Instead of landing, the transparent membrane came down over my eyes, I flew through the wind in total exhilaration, and _sang_. When I say sang, what I mean is that I basically started humming in such a way that my three voices harmonised, each creating separate parts of a tune. The song in question turned out to be _Burn It Down _by Skillet, obviously without the vocals.

I weaved through the dancing bolts of lightning, executing ecstatic rolls and flips in joy as millions of volts of electricity burned past me. It turned into a test of my flying skill as I fought fiercely through the storm trying to dominate me. Roll left, pitch upwards, corkscrew down to the right. Then the rain started, drenching me as golden-blue light flashed blazed behind the clouds. I loved every minute of it. Near the end of my dance through the sky, I ascended, rapidly rising through the clouds. Breaking through the top and going beyond, I went into a stall, flipping my heads down and tails up, and plunged back down into the storm, rocketing through it.

As I streaked toward the ground, a lightning bolt finally struck me. I roared from all three heads at the amazing feeling of the terrible energy entering my body as my eyes glowed yellow. The electricity fluxed through my entire body, spreading across my wings, down my tails. I could even taste it tingling on my tongues.

Suddenly, I shot through the bottom of the cloud, the ground streaking up at me. This was going to hurt. I narrowed my eyes and spread my wings, pulling up hard, grunting in pain at the strain in my shoulders. I managed to _barely_ miss hitting the ground and swept up, over the plains in glorious happiness as the rain poured.

I eventually spotted Eragon, Brom and Saphira, the latter sheltering the humans under her wings. I swooped down towards them, the wind still buffeting me, and landed with a victorious and triumphant roar as sparks of residual charge ran over my body, sparking through the droplets of rain that clung to me. I threw back my heads and let loose three golden bolts that arced up, into the sky. My companions looked at me with various expressions of shock and awe as they tried to compute what just happened.

I grinned, my eyes still glowing yellow. "_Surprise!"_

"You never told us that you could do that!" Eragon yelled over the wind.

"_I hinted at it." _I countered. "_Didn't I tell you that fire wasn't my forte?"_

"Yes, but I never imagined that it would be this!"

I shrugged as Brom started chewing me out for being reckless and not telling him what I was going to do. I looked at Saphira with one head and rolled its eyes.

"_The feeling of flying through the storm, what was it like?" _She asked.

"'_Awesome' doesn't begin to cover it." _I replied, sending her the memory, letting her experience the feelings and sensations that I had felt.

"_I understand what you mean." _Saphira said when she'd gone through it.

* * *

I didn't sleep at all that night. I couldn't sit still, I couldn't find a comfortable position, I couldn't relax. I guess that being juiced up on lightning made me hyper-aware of everything or something.

Dawn eventually broke, dousing us in golden and orange light. I broke into humming Concerning Hobbits from Lord Of The Rings. I was bored, sue me. Before long, Brom woke and started cooking bacon for breakfast. The smell of the cooking meat woke Saphira, who yawned and stretched herself out like a cat. Snagging two strips of bacon, I swallowed one whole, then tossed the other to Saphira, who snapped it out of the air greedily as Brom scowled at me.

"_Morning guys, __what's on today's agenda?"_ I asked.  
_  
"_A settlement called Yazuac." Brom said. "We need provisions, and we might find news of the Ra'zac there."

Yazuac. I remembered what happened there. Should I intervene, spare Eragon the horror? No. Yazuac was important, as it was where Eragon learned about magic, though the way he did wasn't a pleasant one, what with… you know.

I began thinking of my situation again, my knowledge of the future in particular. I knew how most things would go, but only until I started changing things. After that, everything would happen a different way, one that I wouldn't know about. I knew that in the novels, Galbatorix was eventually defeated, but because of me, that might not be the case, although messing up that badly was unlikely. There was one event in particular that I wasn't sure weather I should let pass. Brom's death.

From reading the book, it was that event that eventually pushed Eragon to join the Varden. Although it was probably likely that he and Saphira would join the freedom fighters, this was the pathway that _definitely_ got them there. But then again, this was just the Garrow incident again. I could sacrifice a single life to same many more, but the person that I was sacrificing would be someone personal to the main character... and now me. Why was my new life so difficult?

Saphira and I eventually woke up Eragon by repeatedly prodding him with our heads. Once our victim woke, his reaction to a cluster of dragon heads blocking out his surrounding world was priceless. A very loud scream, followed by frantic backpedalling almost into one of my laughing mouths. Saphira and Brom were laughing until that part. I almost swallowed Eragon, though I was just able to keep him on my tongue! For those of you wondering, I do not have forked tongues. Eragon can testify that… at least for one of my heads.

Managing to not swallow him, I decided to keep going with the comedy routine. Wrapping my tongue around the young Rider, I closed my mouth, then gave three sets of an 'oh crap, what have I done' face. Saphira and Brom looked a combination of shocked and absolutely terrified as I made a big show of trying to cough up Eragon from my offending head. Finally, I opened my mouth close to the ground, unwrapped my saliva covered prisoner and spat him out before drawing back. The silence and shocked expressions lasted about five seconds before I dropped the act and began to let loose a full dragonish belly laugh, falling onto my front and beating the ground in ecstasy.

"_That… was… the funniest thing… that I ever… witnessed!" _I choked out between sobbing laughs, tears of joy forming in my eyes. "_His face when I… then your faces… Oh, I will never forget this!" _I kept laughing until it physically hurt and beyond, earning three glares and a lot of muttered curses. When I finally managed to… loosely control myself, I pushed myself back up onto all fours, unfocused toothy smiles displayed on all three heads. "_My only regret… is not getting that on camera!"_

Looking around for my companions, I saw that… they were nowhere to be seen. The plains were empty in every direction I looked. I'd been ditched. Thanks friends. On the other hand, it might be for the best. Time away from me would allow them to forgive and in Eragon's case, forget. While I was happy about potential forgiveness, I would never let the young Rider forget this. Ever. This was comedy gold.

I sighed happily, although my companions have gone on without me. This didn't pose a problem in itself. I was faster than they could be, even Saphira, could fly upwards to see where they were, or track them by smell. The problem was, how long had I been laughing? My friends had disappeared over the horizon without me noticing. Me. The only being in Alagaësia with three heads. You would have thought that I might have spotted them, but nooo.

Oh well, funny moments are hard to come by, and if the price for them is being left behind, I will gladly accept it. I spread my wings and took off, lurching into the sky with an occasional chuckle. Before long, I saw the Ninor river below me, snaking past Yazuac. However, I did not see a young boy, old man or blue dragon. Hopefully they had already passed, but I couldn't smell anything from the village except spilt blood and rotting flesh, which masked everything else.

I decided to remain at my current altitude, as I had no desire to find out what throwing up from three heads was like. I changed my course to follow the Ninor, theorising that Brom and Eragon would need to refill their water stores. They would also need to let Saphira and the horses drink so they didn't collapse. That meant that they would at least leave some tracks, which I could follow. I descended slowly, then splashed down in the cold, fast flowing river. My brilliant theory was that I could have my left and right heads patrol the respective banks while my central head navigated, allowing me to swim downstream.

My strategy… didn't turn out so well. Night fell before I found anything and after two hours, I was absolutely freezing. As the sun vanished, I pulled myself out of the current, curled up and zonked out from my flight and swim. I woke around a quarter of the way through the next day, birds chirping in the trees around where I had collapsed. I hesitantly glanced towards the river. No, I would not put myself through that again. Keeping myself warm while swimming and watching the banks took much more energy than if I flew. What I should be worried about is what I was going to have for breakfast, as I seriously needed to fill myself up after yesterday. Fortunately, I came across a small herd of wandering deer and managed to snag… all of them. Yes, I gorged myself and I enjoyed it..

Afterwards, I flew above the river, looking for any sign of Eragon, Saphira and Brom. Results: nothing that I could make out. As the sun set for my second day alone, I thought about what I should do. Looking for tracks was proving ineffective, but I did vaguely remember that Daret was the next stop in our… well, I guess it could be argued to be a road trip. Daret was on the banks of the Ninor, south from Yazuac, so I was going the right way. I decided to continue what I was doing and follow the river, although at heights where, from the ground, I could be mistaken for a bird. Sighing and cursing people who overreact, I curled up and dropped off.

The days began to cycle again. Wake up, hunt, look for friends, turn up empty, fall asleep, repeat. Eventually, Daret turned up around midday on… whatever day it was. Not knowing the precise time and date was _really_ bugging me for reasons I couldn't put my claw on. The woes of not having a phone. I didn't risk going into town, but after looking through various clearings surrounding the settlement, I finally found horse footprints leading south, ashen remains of a campfire and deep gouges like Saphira and I make when we take off. This confirmed that my companions were still ahead of me. I didn't bear much of a grudge for them leaving me behind, as Eragon, Saphira and Brom would have expected me to catch up to them easily, but still… isolation was a bummer. I looked at the horse tracks again. They led south still, following the path of the Ninor. Great, more flying.

After _another _few hours, I finally spotted the shining blue of Saphira's scales down in a small clearing. Yes, no more solitude! I located another clearing, not far from where my friends were and landed without ceremony. From there, I began to wind through the trees towards the sound of talking. Those were definitely Eragon and Broms' voices. I wasn't exactly trying to be quiet, so I did snap a few sticks underfoot. That would have put my companions on alert, which explained what happened next.

I finally entered the clearing and reunited with my friends saying "_Hey guys, did you miss me?" _before registering… a shower of clear, shiny liquid splashing over my left head.

I instinctively stepped back in surprise, as anyone would have if they had water thrown in their face. Only… this wasn't water. You might want to stop here and finish any meals you might be eating before reading on, because this is rather gross. Don't say I didn't warn you.

My left head felt as if it was on fire and I screeched in pain from the burning liquid eating into me. I managed to make the connection; a clearing, Eragon holding something similar to a thermos flask, and an acidic liquid. Oh, crap… Seithr Oil. Flailing uncontrollably, I tried to get the liquid off of my head as it burned into my eyes and the acrid smell ate into my nose.

You know that scene in _Raiders of the lost Ark_ when they open the Ark and the three guys start melting? It was like that, except slower. And only on my left head. Fortunately, I hadn't ingested any of the stuff, otherwise I would definitely be done for. My flailing deteriorated into wild stampeding as my vision in my left head was bleached white. The oil was _eating away my eyes!_ Realising that, a logical thought surfaced. _Get your head in the river, dumbass! _I staggered towards the flowing water as pain wracked my body.

Desperately, I plunged my entire left neck into the water, hoping for a reprieve. Instead, the pain doubled as the racing water seemed to spread the liquid to areas that it hadn't reached before. By now, I was in full scale panic mode, no thoughts to my actions whatsoever. I could feel the oil enter my bloodstream, corroding my insides as it went down. Wondering what my reaction was? In my hour of need, did I ask the capable magic user for help? No. Did I manage to use some kind of dragonish magic to heal myself? No.

What happened wasn't pretty or pain free. I yanked myself back onto solid ground, then using my two other heads, I began to chew through my left neck near the uncontaminated base. Yeah, I chewed my own head and neck off. Told you it wasn't pretty. Then I kicked my decapitated head into the river and collapsed from shock, pain and blood loss.

I managed to double-glare at a white-faced Eragon. My vision went red. I roared out an enraged "_You're dead, you fucking piece of-!" _before I lost consciousness. Hooray for trigger-happy maniacs.


	9. Chapter 9- Tis but a scratch!

**Author's note: For those who celebrate it and stuff, HAPPY HALLOWEEN! The people who read the old version before I get rid of those chapters, will probably notice that this is almost a carbon-copy of its predecessor, as I thought that it was pretty good originally, and I had some requests to keep it the same. I may add some stuff too. Thanks to my RRFFers (now a term that I'm gonna use FOREVER) for staying with me! Enjoy!**

**In response to reviews:  
MoosHeadFamLit:  
Okay then, I'll take your suggestion and put down the original chapters as a separate story, but I will make sure that it is known that they are outdated and that this version exists. And yes, the Bleach of Death is back. :D  
ArchAngel319:  
You are very welcome. As for a Cade/Ghidorah and Saphira relationship, should I put up a poll? I dunno which direction to go in. As for the research material you recommended, I did check them out, and I'm still reading through DragonKnight-Beta26's 'Blood of a Dragon' (I enjoy that one a little more, but both line up scarily well with the general concept of mine, even though I went all out on the weirdness. And it will get weirder.). If I do a romance thing, it will be a slow, built up thing. Maybe… Probably… Oh, blimey. Anyway, thanks for your suggestions and your review!  
Guest:  
Blimey, six reviews?! Wow. I'm glad that you like the story!  
Guest:  
Good question. In terms of language, I know that slowly adapting to the way the people in a new place speak is how things usually work, but no, Cade/Ghidorah is going to keep on talking like a human from Earth.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 9- Tis but a scratch! Wait, what do you mean, 'I got decapitated'? ...Screw you.**

I woke to find it was night. A blurry Brom was sitting by a campfire, staring into the flames. His expression seemed to churn in a mix of concern and fear. I grunted and tried to stand up before nausea wracked through me. It felt the burning Seithr Oil was still inside me, coupled with a clawing pain in my stomach and snakes writing in the throbbing stump of my neck. I thudded to the floor, double-puked and mentally swore. In other words, Mr. Stark, I didn't feel so good. (Too soon?)

Brom looked over at me as I turned my attention towards my stump… to find that the wound had been bandaged and the neck was growing back! Thank goodness for Ghidorah's crazy regeneration powers. Would I grow an entire functional head back? Well, it happened in King of the Monsters, and I had inherited most of King G's abilities, so hopefully. A small part of me was concerned that my mental functions should have been lowered by one of my brains being destroyed. Then the rest of me realised that since only a small part of me worrying, I was right. I should have been panicking about this, yet I wasn't too concerned. Then I realised that Brom was talking to me.

"_Huuhh… whaaa?" _I managed to slur out, my eyes crossing and heads pounding as I tried to focus on the old man.

Brom repeated himself. "Ghidorah, you've been unconscious for three days. How are you feeling?"

"_Like…" _I struggled to settle on something that fitted what I was suffering, so eventually settled on_ "Absolute shit."_

Dammit reduced mental functions, you can do better than that! This was scarily like being drunk, which wasn't an experience that I enjoyed. I got drunk at a party _once_ okay?

Brom fixed me a sympathetic look. "That bad?"

"_Yeah…" _I desperately tried to come up with something witty to say. "_At least you waited for me this time."_

Brom smiled. "Yes, we did."

"_After… how long has it been since you left me?"  
_  
"About a week."

"_After about a week of isolation and exhausted searching, then deciding to give me a shower with Seithr Oil, you better stay with me." _I said this with obvious anger and two glares.

Brom seemed only slightly offended. "To be fair, you did almost eat Eragon, so you deserved to be left behind. As for the Oil… I wouldn't wish that on anyone."

I almost chuckled. _"I only pretended to eat him, though I do take pride in my acting skills. By the way, where are Captain Dumbass and Saphira?"  
_  
Brom looked incredulous. "Captain Dumbass?"

"_Eragon. He did cover one of my heads with the most painfully corrosive liquids on this planet. I have a stump instead of a head because of his lack of intelligence!"  
_  
"He did it because he thought that the you were one of the Ra'zac's flying steeds. But come now, Eragon is clever in his own way."

"_Well I could agree with you, but then we'd both be wrong."_ Yes! I finally got in a decent retort and got to wear the smug faces!_ "Anyway, back to the task at hand. Where are our companions?"_

Brom sighed in defeat. "Well, they've both been extremely worried about you. Eragon has been half racked with guilt about what he did, half terrified about what you'll do in revenge."

Revenge? Ooh, I sensed an opportunity! I was of course, angry with Eragon for his idiocy, but I didn't want him dead or mutilated. I'd get back at him in my own way.

Brom continued hurriedly after seeing the savage glint in my eyes. "Earlier today, you started twitching and growling in your sleep, so Saphira took Eragon hunting so that I could have a calm conversation with you when you woke."  
_  
"Why does it seem that dragons have more sense than humans?" _I said, shaking my heads. That made me nauseous again and I had to turn and throw up in some bushes.

I laid my heads on the ground and moaned in misery. Brom gave me a comforting rub on centre snout, which was actually rather enjoyable.

I looked him in the eyes and said "_Thanks. That feels really nice."_

He nodded. "You're welcome. Saphira also said that she'd bring you back some food, as we didn't know if you had eaten while catching us up, and you need to recover your strength." I managed to nod weakly in appreciation before falling asleep.

* * *

I woke as the sun rose the next day and weakly looked around. I would've easily died from hunger if I was on my own. Fortunately, friends come with added benefits. Such as a small pile of deer. My stomach rumbled the equivalent of a magnitude 10 earthquake as I dug in, waking everyone else up. I was careful to not eat too quickly, as I had read somewhere that you should eat slowly after going without food for a while. I also made sure to ignore my companions until I had finished eating. Eragon seemed to be terrified of me, and kept his distance while occasionally giving me furtive glances. Saphira seemed relieved that I was recovering, although she too kept her distance. Brom just acted like everything was fine, though I think that he was secretly worried about what I would do to Eragon.

Swallowing the last deer, I smacked my jaws together in appreciation. "_Thanks for breakfast"_ I said, and Saphira bowed her head in acknowledgement. "_Now, where is our little Rider? I believe that he and I need to… talk."_

I lingered on the word _talk_, implying many, many other painful and dangerous things. Eragon shuffled out from behind Saphira, his head lowered. The gleaming blue dragon nudged her Rider forward encouragingly. He gave her a quick glance that evidently meant 'save me' before finally meeting my eyes. I began our conversation.

"_Now, looking at what happened, taking in the facts and evidence, I have concluded… that you are an idiot."_

Eragon nodded, his eyes fixed on his boots as I went on.

"_Knowing what Seithr Oil does from two encounters with the stuff, you decided to fling it in the direction of an unknown noise. Think about what could have happened! It could have been anything. For example, an innocent man, woman or child."_

I lingered on this point, making absolutely sure that Eragon understood what he could have done.

_"Luckily for you, you managed to douse a certain three-headed, now two-headed dragon instead of a five-year-old. Fortunately, my head will grow back. Unfortunately, that means that you have to deal with me, and I'm absolutely pissed."_

For that last sentence, I got my two remaining heads in his face, narrowed my eyes and made little flickers of electricity run over my body for maximum fear in the subject. I'm pretty sure that my eyes glowed yellow too, completing the 'I'm going to murder you if I don't get what I want' look.

"_Now, I don't exactly want you dead, but let's say that if you were on fire and I had water, I'd drink it. Are we clear?"_ Eragon gave a very scared and shaky nod.

Everything was going to my master plan of manipulation! Eragon was both ashamed at what he had done and scared of what I would do to him, which would make him agree to what I had planned for him.

"_I'm going to ask for two things from you. You accept and we'll call everything between us even, okay?"_

"O-okay."

If I was still human, I would be giving an evil mastermind smile and lacing my fingers together.

"_First, from now on, you will actually think through what you are going to do before you do it. Got it?" _Eragon nodded. "_Good. Now, you will swear in the ancient language that you will comply with my second request."_

The young rider looked helplessly to Brom, then Saphira, then back to me. "I want to hear what you want before I agree to anything." That was both very sensible and very annoying at the same time.

My tone was absolutely final. "_No. You will agree to what I want NOW." _Eragon flinched away from the force of my mental shout and gave in.

"Okay." There may have been a fain whimper of "Please don't eat me!"

_"Brom, tell him what to say."_

As Brom started explaining to Eragon, I pulled away and started chuckling to myself. I knew what I was going to ask of our rider.

Saphira privately contacted me, her tone worried. "_While it is good to see you awake again, __you're not going to hurt him, are you?"_

I turned towards her and grinned. "_Nah. He's too important, and I know that if I hurt him, you'd feel his pain too, and my bosses would be absolutely furious. Instead of harming our young friend, I'm going to ask him for something I can actually benefit from long-term."_

_"I do not like that look in your eyes."_

_"Trust me, it's a very easy task. He'll be fine. The most that will happen is that he overdoses on boredom." _By now, Brom had finished tutoring Eragon in what he was going to say, and they started to turn back to me. "_We'll talk later; I've got to get my game faces back on."_

Eragon spoke. "Eka otherúm eom ach havat ono bidja abr edtha." Brom said that translated as 'I swear to do what you ask of me'. Good enough.

I began my pronouncement of 'doom'.

"_Whenever I ask, you shall…" _I paused for dramatic effect. Eragon was quaking in his boots by this point. I decided to finish quickly so that he didn't have a heart attack. _"Wash and clean me."_

Eragon kept on shaking until he ran through the statement again. Then he shook his head. "Wait, what?"

"_I said that whenever I ask, you shall wash and clean me."_

Eragon smiled in relief. "Seriously? You want me to wash you? That's it?"

I nodded. "_I take personal hygiene very seriously. At the moment, I'm covered in dry mud, twigs, leaves and bits of animals, as well as a good amount of my own blood. That doesn't strike me as hygienic."  
_  
Eragon started laughing. "So you scared me half to death, when all I have to do is clean you?"

"_I said that you have to clean me whenever I ask, dumbass. That means multiple times, but I imagine that this is better than what you expected."_

The young rider shrugged "Well, you are the size of a house, so I'm not exactly getting off easily."

Brom smiled and began to pack things into saddlebags.

I turned to him, a little concerned by his eagerness to be off. "_Whoa, whoa, whoa! I'm not strong enough to travel today. I need some time to recover."_

Brom glowered at me, probably frustrated about the lost time it took me to wake up, but he nodded, clearly not wanting to be put on cleaning duty too. "Fine. But we'll have to make up for lost time later on."

Eragon began to walk off, so I called out to him. _"Oi! Where do you think you're going? You have a dragon to clean!"_

He froze in place. Was that magic? Perhaps. He just sighed, walked over to the saddlebags and began rummaging through them. Eventually, he emerged with a large piece of cloth and a bristly brush. No soap. Oh well, perhaps we could find some later on. I lay down, closed my eyes and prepared for a long scrub-down.

When I felt the brush and wet cloth run over my scales, I shook and snorted in pleasure. I soon managed to stop squirming under Eragon and just lie down, contented. Mentally, I contacted Saphira, my eyes still closed.

"_Saphira, what happened while I was catching you up?"_

_"Would you like the whole thing, or just the important parts?"_

_"Give me the highlights."_

_"What?"_

I groaned. "_It means the second one."_

_"Very well. The day we… left you behind, we came across Yauzac, as Brom told you that morning. We were in for a shock. Urgals had butchered the population, some remaining behind to loot the town. Eragon managed to use magic to kill them."_

_"What word did he use?" _This question was purely to see if everything was going as it should.

"_Brisingr."_

Good, my intervention hadn't caused much trouble and the world was on track. _"Fire, huh? What happened afterwards?"_

_"Some kind of explosion, from what I saw. After leaving Yauzac, we went on to Daret. The people there were cautious, but Brom managed to talk his and Eragon's way out of it. Then we kept travelling onwards until Brom found the flask of Seithr Oil-"_

I cut in aggressively, low, quiet growls coming from the two heads I still had. "_Let's never mention that-" _I broke into a string of curses "_-stuff again. If we have to, I'm calling it the Bleach Of Death."  
_  
Saphira paused, obviously puzzled at the mention of bleach. _"...As__ you wish. Brom also found large marks in the ground that indicated that the Ra'zac have flying mounts."_

I didn't ask further into it, which seemed to surprise Saphira. "_Where are we going next?" _I asked.

"_A costal city called Teirm. Apparently the… liquid that you don't like is expensive, so only a few people trade it. Brom and Eragon will try to access the records with an old friend of Brom's to find where the oil is shipped to. That will tell us where the Ra'zac live."_

_"The coast, huh? I wonder if fish and chips is a thing here."_

_"Fish and chips? What are chips?" _Saphira's tone seemed a mix of curiosity and disgust. I ignored her questions, falling into nostalgia.  
_  
"And ketchup. And salt and vinegar. Mmmm." _I subconsciously licked my lips. I then went on to ask "_Accessing the records… is that illegal?"  
_  
"_I don't know. Perhaps."_

_"I have to show everyone Mission Impossible before we reach Teirm."_

_"Once again, I have no idea what you're talking about."_

_"Have I told you and the others about movies yet?"_

_"No."_

_"Then that's why."_

We stopped there, and sometime afterwards, I fell asleep.

* * *

The sun had climbed to its peak when I woke, though it didn't give much warmth. Brom sat by the campfire with Eragon, the latter poking at the flames with a stick. Saphira had disappeared, probably hunting. I coughed twice to make sure that the two humans were aware that I was up, then started projecting my thoughts.

"_Teirm next, is it?" _Brom nodded, looking into the flames. _"So you're going to go through the shipment records, looking for the Bleach Of Death."_

"What is bleach?" Brom asked.

_"An acidic chemical that my people used to clean toilets. You can jump to what I mean from there."_

Eragon looked down in shame as Brom nodded again. Speaking of Eragon, had he done a good job as a dragon washer? I looked over myself. Wow… that really was a good job. My scales practically glowed a warm gold, all traces of grime gone.

I looked back at the young Rider. "_You, my young cleaner, do an amazing job. I'm glad I made you agree to do this whenever I want." _Eragon looked up, not expecting the praise, but smiled nonetheless. "_So, since you're going to 'access' the records, you need to learn how to read, don't you?"_

"Aye." Aye, who says that anymore? Apparently the people in Alagaësia do. Why not just say yes or no?

"I'll teach you now, since we aren't going anywhere." Brom said, picking up a stick and scratching an 'a' into the ground.

They began to talk, Eragon memorising letters as Brom drew them. I managed to sit up and started to slowly walk around, testing that nothing was wrong with me apart from the obvious loss of a head. In my wandering, I finally found my rucksack and started to go through it out of boredom. Everything seemed to be in order. I reached for my phone and turned it on. Crap, 4% battery. I rifled through the bag, found the solar charger and cable, then tried and failed to connect the three items together.

"_Would you mind plugging these together?" _I asked my human companions. "_Given my size, it's like trying to manipulate a hair with a bunch of swords."_ Brom obliged, taking the phone, charger and cable, plugging them together, then handing them back to me. "_Thanks."_

I laid down behind the father and unknowing son, letting the solar charger soak in the rays of the sun. I turned the phone on and, out of boredom, began seeing what worked and what didn't. Most of the games wouldn't load without a Wi-Fi connection, so I deleted them off to make storage space. All of my downloaded music stayed, as did the movies.

You want to know what I had on there? Okay. The three original Star Wars films, Mission Impossible, Skyfall, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies, the whole set of Harry Potter films, and the three Thor movies. Now, that is a lot for one phone, but I did buy a rather large memory card for it, and it's practically filled, even with many of my games removed.

After browsing through my games, movies and music, I checked through the other functions of my phone for the first time since my death. Obviously, none of the web browsers worked, neither did GPS. I noticed that as I'd travelled, the clock seemed to automatically adjust itself to the current time-zone. Well, at least it adjusted according to the position of the sun, Alagaësia didn't have time-zones. The calendar however, didn't work. So my phone could somehow tap into magic to keep itself up to date, but only to a limit. Huh.

The next thing I went through was my photo gallery. I smiled at the images. The gang and I, hanging around town, engaged in a battle of knights and pawns, doing dares, playing Mariokart on our old, clunky Wii. Happy times. I sighed and decided to put on some music. After scrolling through the various albums and mixes I had downloaded, I set the volume to maximum and started up Cum on Feel the Noize by Quiet Riot. I smiled. Music, one of the best things I still had with me. My heads started bobbing to the music as my companions looked at me, their faces a mix of shock and fear.

"What in the name of the gods?!" Brom exclaimed.

I looked at them and mentally yelled over the noise. "_This is music from where I come from, and rather tame for this genre, too!"_

"This is music?! I've heard better sounds from the culling of the Urgals!"

"_This ain't genocide, this is Rock and Roll!"_


	10. Chapter 10: What do you mean, 'too loud'

**Author's note: I FINALLY got my engineering assignment done, and I feel like celebrating, so I'm putting this up now. Next week, we'll get to original chapters again, so I have to stop slacking off. It has been brought to my attention that since I deleted old chapters off, some people won't be able to drop reviews until I go beyond the number of chapters I had. If you have a review but can't submit it, drop it as a PM with an appropriate subject. Thanks, and enjoy! Oh yeah, quick question, do you guys want a Christmas special chapter? I can make it work with what I've got planned, but I want to know whether you're all interested.**

**In response to reviews/PMs:  
Blaze1992:  
I'm pretty sure that the ports in a phone and a wireless charger are different sizes to each other. Therefore, Brom would probably work out what end of the connecting cable goes in which port. As for having a ghost in Utgard, that would have been cool. Sorry for not including something like that.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 10- What do you mean, my music's too loud?**

It had been three days since I had introduced my companions to rock music and we were back on the road again. Their reactions to the genre had been… less than stellar. Brom had threatened to take my phone and run it through with his sword, while Eragon had cast a spell that almost destroyed both him and the offending device. Surprisingly, Saphira was on my side of the argument, and rather liked rock, saying that it was loud and violent, like dragons. I wasn't really sure what to think of that.

The day after the music incident, I had enough strength to slowly wander around for a couple of hours. Since then, the stump of my left neck lengthened considerably, which _severely _freaked both my mentor and companions until I said that was normal. The bandages had to be taken off after the second day, revealing a translucent cocoon with various things pulsing, writhing and softly glowing beneath it, which freaked _me_ out. Then the damn thing began to itch like _crazy_. You know when you have an itch that stays with you, no matter how much you scratch it? I had that, except it was so bad that I had to stop myself from biting it with my other two heads. Regrowing a head was a pain in the ass and I don't recommend it.

Earlier today, I had finally torn off the freaking cocoon! That revealed a new, shiny, slimy, smelly, golden head. Hooray! And also yuck. My other two heads went into a mad licking frenzy to get the regrown one clean. After a quick breakfast, we were moving. Eragon and Brom rode on a skittish Cadoc and Snowfire while I followed behind them on all fours, as I wasn't strong enough to fly. I'd put on my playlist of music that I liked to listen to while I was travelling. Brom and Eragon tolerated it better than rock, and I saw that Eragon was nodding his head to some of the songs, so I guess that's a win.

A while into the morning, as Life is a Highway was playing, Eragon asked "What is the sea like?"

I instantly replied with "_Wet, salty, and full with a lot of strange animals that pee in it."  
_  
Brom rolled his eyes at me, then turned back to Eragon. "Surely you must have heard it described before?"

"Yes, but what is it really like?" Eragon asked.

Brom launched into a massive speech about the 'beauty of the sea', etc, etc, then gave an example of one of the elves' songs. By the time he had finished, I had brought my phone out of my backpack and had found the pictures from when my Mom and Dad had taken me on vacation to a small chain of islands in the Pacific Ocean. I dropped my phone on Cadoc's saddle and Eragon picked it up.

"Wow. This is really the sea?" he said, flicking through the photographs.

"_Yup." _I replied._ "That place is called Hawaii. It's a tropical island chain in the middle of the ocean formed out of volcanoes. It's often sunny, hot, and full of tourists."_

"This is of your home; I take it?" Brom asked, looking over Eragon's shoulder.

"_Yes, but it's a long way south-west of where I lived."_

"It's amazing." Eragon said after scrolling through the pictures and giving me the phone back.

We went on, Brom explaining magic, history and information about dragons, until we could see the outline of the Spine on the horizon. Eragon and Brom dismounted and set about making camp as I nosed around for firewood. Upon amassing a suitable quantity of wood, I zapped it with a small electric charge, setting it alight. Eragon began making dinner as Saphira landed behind me.

"_How's things in the sky?" _I asked wistfully. I didn't realise how much I'd miss flying when I didn't have the freedom to do it anymore.

"_A little warmer than before." _She replied. "_The plains seem to be endless from up there."_

"_They aren't though." _I said. "_We'll get to Teirm eventually."_.

We arrived in the Spine's foothills two days later. By then I could fly for short stretches of time, half an hour at most, but I still followed Brom on foot. The day where we didn't have Eragon with us, I got so bored that I proposed a game of I-spy, something that Brom adamantly refused was beneath his dignity. With nothing to do except put one foot in front of the other, I was left to my thoughts.

* * *

That night was when I had my first dream since what I was calling my 'respawn'. I was back at the campsite in Glacier National Park, human again. Everyone was rushing around in a panic, throwing things into the truck. Then the bear came. The world darkened into an inky monochrome, my friends, our gear and the truck disappearing, only leaving pitch black trees on a grey floor. The scene was pierced by a blood red sun. Eyes that matched stabbed through the gloom. The creature that used to be the bear growled. Then the darkness surged forward, those red eyes at its forefront. I screamed as shadow claws closed around my throat, those red eyes burning into mine, incendiary rage blazing behind them.

Then it spoke in a voice that was so cold it stabbed into my mind. **"_YOUR SOUL IS MINE, PLAINSWALKER. YOU CANNOT HIDE. YOU CANNOT RUN. YOU CANNOT LIVE, AND I SHALL COME FOR YOU!_"**

My eyes snapped open and I flew to all fours with a head splitting yell of "_WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!"_

The sun was just peeking over the horizon as a gentle breeze rustled through the trees. Birds chirped and sang as smells of cooking meat filled the air. Fluffy, white clouds floated cheerfully overhead in a pink-tinted sky; the very image of a perfect morning. Everyone else was already awake, glancing in a shocked silence from my shaking body, to each other, and back.

"What's going on?" Eragon whispered to Brom as I frantically scanned the surrounding area.

Realising that the… thing wasn't about to rip my throats out, I calmed down and tried to clear the images from my mind.

"What happened?" Brom questioned.

I didn't reply immediately. This was too disturbing for me feel comfortable sharing.

"_Nightmare. Bad one." _I eventually said, though it had felt a lot more real than any nightmare I'd ever had before. Trying to shake the unsettling feeling that there was more to this than met the eye, I cautiously stalked off to find something to eat.

* * *

Three days after that, I was back to flying. I didn't have the… what I was labelling as a vision again, but I was severely freaked out. I tried not to let on just how scared I was, but my companions noticed. I was jumpy, more alert than usual, as shown when I nearly shot a lightning bolt at Brom when he sneezed in the middle of one night.

Eragon and Brom found the road between Urû'baen and Teirm while Saphira and I flew far overhead. I tried to coax Saphira into I-spy too. Unlike Brom, she accepted, but she insisted that I could only use one head to make things fair. That was why I flew off course while looking for the object that Saphira had picked out. She only noticed half an hour later and then came flying back to fetch me.

Once again, the days began to cycle into a repetitive blur. The days with Eragon were often more interesting, as Brom had asked me to help the young Rider and dragon train in aerial combat. That meant I was allowed to do interesting things like dive-bombing the pair, trying to knock Eragon off. Saphira would try to defend herself by corkscrewing, diving and banking, among many other manoeuvres.

* * *

One interesting afternoon, Saphira initiated the attack. She passed over me, dropping Eragon onto my back. I was completely unprepared for this, but managed to execute a roll, that would have thrown the young rider off if he had not grabbed hold of the nearest spike and held on for all he was worth. Righting myself, my next strategy was to turn my left and right heads around to face Eragon while the middle one concentrated on flying. I grinned and made electricity flare in my two mouths.

"_You lose." _I said smugly, letting the electricity crackle into nothingness.

As I returned all of my heads to concentrating on flying, Brom contacted me with another test. Receiving it, I grinned wickedly. With Eragon still on my back as Saphira circled around, I locked my wings and went into a dive. Eragon screamed, then swore violently as he lost his grip on me, and tumbled into free-fall. Of course, I was right underneath him, just in case. As Saphira swooped towards me, I turned away and pulled up so that she could catch her Rider without any issue. I levelled out, then looked down to see what had happened.

Splat! Ooh… aw, gross…

Ha, just kidding! The Dynamic Duo actually pulled off a rather good recovery. Saphira aligned her dive with the path of Eragon's fall, pulling up slowly until he was able to grab onto a fluttering strap and pull himself into the saddle. Saphira pulled up sharply, clearing the trees in the forest below by a wide margin. As they flew back up to my side and looked over, I gave my best 'looking innocent' faces and started whistling. Then I sent what had happened to Brom, who chuckled as we flew on into the darkening evening.

* * *

It took us another week of trekking through the Spine until we caught sight of Teirm one evening. Due to the increasing amount of other travellers on the road, Eragon and Brom had rode together while Saphira and I flew. It was also around this time that I explained what movies were and showed my companions Mission Impossible. The experience was a little diminished by the tiny screen size, which meant we had to bunch up together to watch it.

Although they obviously didn't understand most of it, even with me explaining beforehand, my companions rather enjoyed the film. Saphira and Eragon liked the action scenes, while Brom was more interested in the plot. After the movie had finished, and after answering a gazillion questions about home, cars, helicopters, guns and more, I asked Brom whether accessing the records would be similar to the film's drop to access the computer terminal.

Brom shook his head. "It's more likely to be a couple of bribes and spells. We aren't sneaking in either, unless we absolutely have to."

"_Shame._" I said as I returned the phone to my backpack, and curled up for the night.

* * *

The next morning, the two humans rode off towards the city as my fellow dragon and I took to the skies. After a few hours of flying around for the pleasure of it, Saphira pointed out a clearing on a clifftop for us to camp out on. Landing, I took in the scene. Maple trees surrounded the space, except for an open side which provided a beautiful view of the city and the ocean beyond. I whistled at the sight, whipped my phone out and took a picture.

After drinking in the beauty of nature for a while, I flew off in search of something to eat. Having a dragon's sense of smell helped a lot for that. Half an hour later, I was swooping down on a small group of deer once again. I pinned two under my feet, accidentally knocked out another by hitting it with one of my tails, and grabbed hold of three more in my mouths before they knew what was happening. The ones that I had not incapacitated screeched in fear and bolted, charging away. I looked around, checking that I was alone before I began eating.

I ate five out of the six horses before I flew back, holding the last one in my middle head. Reaching the clifftop, I found that Saphira was looking over the city, watching the world go by. I landed behind her with a thump.

"_Hungry?" _I asked, dropping my kill.

Saphira turned away from the amazing view and nodded as I nudged the carcass towards her. Then I wandered around a little before I flumped down, grabbed my phone and started to watch the Harry Potter films. Saphira joined me after a while, and we watched the film together after I explained the general gist of the plot. She thought that it was a strange idea, but was interested nonetheless.

* * *

Later, I found myself looking out over Teirm. People the size of ants squabbled in the marketplaces, yelled at each other near the docks and chuckled at each other's jokes. Despite the differences in clothing, technology, politics and addition of magic, the people of Alagaësia were the same as the people of Earth. They laughed, cried, sang, worried, lived and died, just like anybody back home. I sighed, partly in nostalgia, partly in sadness. Then I mentally slapped myself. There was no way to go home, I needed to get over it!

Out of the blue, Saphira suddenly asked "_What is it like without having a Rider?"_

I intelligently looked around and replied with "_Huh?"_

Saphira turned towards me, worry in her eyes. "_I am bonded with Eragon, yet he plunges himself nose-first into situations that could result in his death, without any regard for his own safety. If he dies, then the emotional and physical pain will either drive me to death or insanity, and he doesn't think about that! He doesn't care that-" _She glared at the ground, growled and stamped a foot in annoyance before getting control of herself and turning back to me. "_What I'm trying to ask is if it's better or worse to have a Rider than to be unbonded. I was hoping that you could answer this for me."_

I did the equivalent of raising a questioning eyebrow before settling down to think about it. After a couple of minutes, I was satisfied with my answer and began to talk. "_Without a Rider, a Dragon is undirected, alone, an uncontrollable storm of power that does as it pleases. I'm pretty sure that before the bond was created, wild Dragons would do what they wanted, according to primal instincts, wants, needs, and simply because they could. It was the formation of the Riders that made both them and us much more powerful. The intelligence, vision, and compassion of men and elves, combined with the strength and brutality of our kind makes that happen. That bond connects you and Eragon, and it is something to be cherished, for as you know, if your partner passes on and you survive, you will either go mad, commit suicide, or live the rest of your days in depression."_

I left Saphira to think on that before adding "_We have a saying where I come from, which sums up your question very well. It goes 'United we stand, divided we fall'. That, if anything, is the true meaning of the Bond. Dragons and Riders can face any threat, any challenge and make it through to see another day, until it's their time to pass on. Those who are not one in their hearts and minds shall fall, bonded or not, and no matter how much courage or skill they possess."_

I rose as Saphira acknowledged my ...actually, it was rather good advice. But then she said to me "_Ghidorah, you have no Rider. By your own argument, you have put yourself in the group of those who shall fall."_

We heard Eragon's mental shout of "_Saphira!" _as I stood and stretched my wings, preparing to take off.

I looked down at her with three grins and said "_Yeah, __but there's something about me that puts me in with those who will survive."_

She motioned for me to carry on.

I happily roared _"_I_ am my Rider!" _as I beat down my wings and took to the skies, leaving Saphira to have some private time with Eragon.

"_You explained that very well." _Islingr said as air whipped past me.

"_Where have you been all this time?" _I asked her in surprise. How long had it been since I'd last talked to her?

"_I have been listening." _She said "_Mostly to your music."_

"_And what do you think?" _I asked hopefully.

"_It's too loud."_

There was the sound of heavy breathing before I mentally yelled "_WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'TOO LOUD'?!"_


	11. Chapter 11- A day at the beach

**Author's note: I LIIIIVEEEEEE! I've been mucking around with ideas for other stories that I haven't done yet, and I needed to put them down before I forgot. Sorry for the wait! This chapter is going to be Cade/Ghidorah and Saphira just mucking around a bit. Is that called fluff? I'm not sure, as I haven't been on FanFiction long enough to know. And I found it difficult to write for some reason. And I'm playing _The Isle _while editing this. FanFiction has _weird _glitches in the text formatting when I upload a file to the Doc Manager. And I finally found a better way to end a note than 'enjoy'; May your swords stay sharp and may your skies stay clear!**

**In response to reviews/PMs:  
Blaze1992:  
I don't know why some people don't like rock and roll, even though it is, as you put it 'the music of badassery'. Then again, I have a personal vendetta against rap music, so I can't judge.  
MoosHeadFamLit:  
Yeah, I think that the Alaga****ë****sians would like music from the LOTR trilogy. Fun fact: I often put on some LOTR music to get me in the 'medieval world' setting. Either that or rock.  
JustAnotherWildDragon:  
I'm glad you enjoyed KOTM. (Burning Godzilla was awesome.) As for your question, my Ghidorah has… (quickly checks through story to find measurements) a wingspan of around 90 meters, a central body around the size of a large house, so around 25 meters long by 7 to 8 meters wide, and the necks would be about 20 meters long, while the tails would be 30 meters. Plugging that into a calculator, that makes him around 3.5 times smaller than King Ghidorah. So that's interesting, I guess. Incidentally, he also has the same torso and neck size as Smaug, but has half the wingspan and about a third of the tail length.  
eragon95159:  
I was convinced not to do shapeshifting until your question came in. I've previously stated to that I won't do shapeshifting, but it depends if I can fit it into the story and have it make sense. My brain is hard at work, thinking of the possibilities, but the only place I can think of that it would work would be the Blood-Oath Celebration in Eldest, and that's far, far away. As for the Star Wars suggestion, I'd say that a trandoshan like Bossk would be more appropriate, but if I do have my OC shapeshift, it would be into one other form, which would be some kind of dragon/human hybrid.  
chris:  
Thanks! Will Cade/Ghidorah grow as big as King G? I'll decide that later on.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 11- A day at the beach.**

The next day, the sun came out, burning away the clouds and mist, leaving a happy, blue sky. I could hear waves breaking down by the shore and birds chirping in the trees. The smell of salt rose on the sea breeze, up to where Saphira and I had spent the night.

I was watching over Teirm again as Saphira woke, trying to figure out what house Jeod's was.

"_Good morning, Ghidorah." _She yawned, stretching.

"_Morning, Saphira."_ I replied. "_What news did Eragon bring yesterday?"_

_"It may take a while, but he is confident that we shall find the Ra'zac's lair."_

I nodded. "_Good. Now, do you have any plans for today?"_

_"Only to meet with Eragon this evening."_

I turned towards her and grinned. "_Would you be against a little exploring?"_

She grinned back. "_Where to?"_

_"Only an empty section of the beach." _I said. "_We can go down there, muck around, have some fun. Are you in?"_

_"As you say, hell yes?"_

Saphira's response came out more like a question rather than an a answer, but it still made my smiles widen. "_Then let's make like a banana and split."_

_"I don't understand. What is a banana?"_

Still grinning, I shook my heads in mock disappointment and took off, Saphira tailing behind me yelling "_Ghidorah, what is a banana?!"_.

* * *

It took us a while to find a secluded part of the beach were we wouldn't be disturbed or seen by ships. Eventually, we came across a cove that was hidden from the land by forest, and had large rocks either side of the opening to the ocean. I deemed it suitable for concealment.

Landing on the beach itself wasn't the best idea. The force of our wingbeats kicked up a sandstorm, making the tiny grains go _everywhere_. And then we had to land in it. Fortunately, once I was on the ground, it was easy to fan away the small cloud of grains to the far side of the cove.

_"So what now?" _Saphira asked.

"_Let's sea." _I smiled, putting my bag down on top of a large rock.

"_That is a terrible pun." _Saphira said, shaking her head.

_"For shore." _I agreed with a smirk.

"_Please stop."_

"_Why?" _I laughed,_ "I'm feeling fin-tastic!"_

_"Ghidorah, I'm warning you…"_

_"Stop being so salty. You're just jealous that I beach you to the good ones."_

_"That's it!"_

Saphira lunged at me, but I could tell that it was more playful than aggressive. I dodged her, then started running, kicking up sand behind me.

"_Are you squidding me?" _I asked as my fellow dragon ran after me in hot pursuit.

"_Get back here!" _Saphira yelled.

_"But I want to live!"_

She chased me around the cove until I reached the point where the ocean came in. I raised my wings and tried to fly over it, but Saphira pounced before I could take off, knocking me headsfirst into the cold sea.

As I hit the water, my transparent inner eyelids slid down, stopping the saltwater from reaching my eyes. The cove wasn't very deep, allowing me to stand up in it. I turned around and looked at a smug Saphira.

"_You have made a grave mistake!" _I said, skimming my two tails through the sea and flicking them upwards, sending water flying.

Saphira was soaked from head to tail. Her expression turned from shock to mock anger as I started laughing. "_I'll get you for that!"_

She swished her tail the same way I had, throwing a sheet of water at me. I dodged before it hit, ducking under the waves, watching the water Saphira had kicked up patter down on the surface. Resurfacing, I fully extended my wings and flapped them once, sending a torrent of water back at my fellow dragon.

For a moment, I wondered if I'd overdone it. Then Saphira leapt into the water after me with a massive splash, coating my three heads with droplets. Both of us laughing, I splashed her back, and everything degenerated to either of us trying to splash the other while evading the splashes of our opponent.

* * *

We pulled ourselves out of the water around midday, both of us laughing. After a few weeks on the move and a while of nervously looking over my shoulders for the shadowy thing from in my vision, relaxing and just having fun for the sake of it was very welcome.

"_That was enjoyable." _Saphira said, shaking herself dry like a dog.

I nodded, contented to let myself drip-dry. "_Splash fights happen a lot at the beach."_

_"What else do you do while beside the sea?" _Saphira asked.

I thought for a while before answering. "_There are a couple of things I could show you. First off, sandcastles."_

Saphira looked at me strangely. "_Wouldn't the castle collapse under itself? And wouldn't it be easy to breach?"_

I sighed. "_Sandcastles aren't meant to be actual castles, It's just a name. In reality, they're just piles of sand that are shaped like castles. People build them for fun, and the sea washes them away when the tide rises."_

"_So, they serve no purpose." _Saphira summarized.

"_Apart from keeping their builders busy, not really, no." _I replied, a little downcast.

_"What else did you have in mind?"_

_"We could try to build a raft and see if can float with both of us on it." _I suggested.

_"That sounds more interesting." _Saphira decided._ "How do we start?"_

"_First, we need to find stuff that will float." _I said while looking around for things we could use. "_Then we get something to make them stay together."_

_"There are trees that we could cut down." _Saphira said. "_They would float, but I'm not sure about how we could make them stay together."_

I thought it over. "_We could try using seaweed. I can't think of anything else short of stealing rope of somebody."_

_"Then we shall do as you suggest."_

I nodded, heading towards the forest. "_Let's get some wood first."_.

It was a couple of hours before I finally deemed that we had enough trees. They were easy enough to uproot, but that left us with a tree with roots and branches still attached. Getting said extra parts off was a bit of a nightmare. Saphira and I didn't have an axe, and our teeth and claws were built more for piercing, rather than cutting. In the end, we developed a process where I held the tree I was working on in one of my heads, while the other two worked on snapping the ends off as Saphira uprooted the next candidate.

When we finally had enough logs, we dragged them back to the beach. Well, _I_ dragged them to the beach while Saphira looked for seaweed. She managed to find a considerable amount too, dumping it to the side of our construction area.

Actually putting anything together was much more difficult to do than I anticipated. Claws were a lot more annoying to use than fingers, as you had to worry about accidentally skewering whatever it was you were manipulating. I also had to stand vertically to use my hands, which was something I'd never tried before, but was fairly easy to pull off.

It was well into the afternoon for when I'd finished, but we _did _eventually get a load of logs lashed together, around twenty meters long by twelve meters wide. Saphira and I pushed our makeshift raft into the waves with a massive shove, Saphira jumping on as it left the shore. I quickly headed back for my bag, grabbed it, then bounded back toward the raft. I gingerly climbed on it, making the logs creak beneath me. Worried that they'd break, I laid down to spread out my weight and tucked my wings as close to my body as I could. Saphira sat beside me, gazing out over the waves as we slowly floated out of the cove, my tails trailing in the cool water.

"_This is…" _Saphira began as the raft rocked slightly.

"_Fun?" _I suggested.

She nodded. "_Yes. It is strange to think that we made this craft, but satisfying nonetheless."_

We were silent for a few minutes more, happily taking in the sea breeze as the currents carried us out, into the blue ocean. I wasn't too worried about this. We could always ditch the raft and let it carry on sailing as we flew back to shore, and we wouldn't get far enough out to be attacked by a Nïdhwal. Probably.

"_So… what do people do while sailing?" _Saphira asked me.

"_It depends." _I replied, scratching the gap between my middle and right hand neck. "_For fun though, some people go fishing. Some go looking for wildlife, like whales or dolphins. Some race their boats and stuff."_

_"Have you ever done any of these activities before?"_

I nodded. _"Fishing was okay, if a little dull. The wildlife cruise was cool when we actually saw the animals. I've never done racing before though."_

_"Was this at the island you visited? Hawia?"_

_"Hawaii," _I corrected, looking at my reflection in the waves, "_the one holiday I had where stuff didn't go to hell."_

Then I glanced over at Saphira. "_Why the sudden interest?"_

"_Though you have been travelling with us since Carvahall, you never talk much about yourself." _The blue dragoness explained. "_You tell us of places you've been, things you've seen, but you don't like to talk about yourself, such as your likes or dislikes."_

I stared at her, a little shocked. Her honesty was brutal, but surprisingly welcome for a reason I couldn't quite put a claw on.

Shrugging with a grin, I asked "_What do you want to know?" _

I'd answer as truthfully as I could, but I'd leave out that I used to be a human. That was a level of weird that I didn't want to discuss.

_"How old are you?" _Saphira questioned almost instantly.

"_Sixteen, almost seventeen years." _I said. I wasn't sure whether my birthday had passed yet. As close as I could figure, the current date was somewhere near the start of December, but my birthday was in the middle of February, so I should be okay for now.

Saphira seemed surprised by my answer, but pressed on. "_What's your favourite colour?"_

_"The colour of Master Chief's armour." _At Saphira's confused expression, I elaborated "_Kinda like the leaves of a tree in spring. Next question?"_

_"What's your favourite food?"_

Ooh, a toughie. "_Either a hot dog, pizza, or fish and chips." _I eventually decided. Dragon-style meals had nothing on human ones.

Saphira actually fell of the raft at my response, a giant splash following her. As I hauled her out with two of my heads and deposited her back on the deck, a horrified expression on her face as water dripped off her. "_You eat _dogs?"

"_I probably should have explained that better." _I smiled. "_A hot dog is basically a tube of cooked meat wrapped in bread, with various sauces on it."_

The blue dragoness calmed down a little, but still looked at me strangely as she asked her next question. "_What's the part of flying that you like the most?"_

There was a pause before I responded. "_I like the feeling of freedom that it gives. Riding the thermals, soaring through the sky, diving at speeds that could rip my wings off, and all of it under my own power… what more do I have to say?"_

Saphira nodded. "_I understand that. We dragons, we are made for the sky."_

There was a while before she asked her next question. "_What were you like as a hatchling?"_

I chuckled. "_Now that's a topic that will take the rest of the day. Right… where to start?" _I could mentally feel Islingr tapping into the conversation, and privately asked "_May I ask why you're interested, Ebrithil?"_

_"Because you are different from the rest of us, fledgling. In mind, body, and mannerisms. I wish to know more about you, just as Saphira does, although I will close myself off from your conversation if you wish."_

I was a little surprised at that. "_Err, you know you can always listen to me unless I request for privacy, right? I mean, even though you're housed in an Eldunar__í__, you're still a person, and you do deserve to know what's going on, to stop boredom if nothing else."_

A brief wave of happiness rolled through my consciousness. "_Thank you, fledgling." _Islingr said. "_Being considerate of others outside your friends and family is a rare tendency, in any species."_I smiled to myself. _"Then welcome to my whacky group of unlikely friends, Ebrithil."_

Islingr actually laughed at that, a deep sound that was rather like the gentle boom of waves against cliffs in a storm. "_You never cease to surprise me, fledgling."_

_"And I'll never stop" _I replied.

Broadening my focus, I started projecting to both dragonesses, but mainly to Saphira, given that it was her who asked the question. "_As you know, I wasn't born in __Alagaësia. Instead, I was born in Montana, America. The town I grew up in was a lot like Carvahall, now I think about it. There were mountains, rushing rivers, and large forests of pine trees and stuff, but everything was far more advanced than here. Central heating, electricity and plumbing to start off with, not to mention cars, TV and videogames. And takeaways. And my Playstation and Xbox._ _Damn, do I__ miss those._

_Life was good. Easy, even. I didn't have to fly anywhere, I didn't have to hunt, I didn't have to worry about being attacked by some kind of monster. Because of that, I was lazy. I didn't bother to learn how to hunt or fly, and I only learned how recently- after I was… cast out."_

I shuddered as images of my death flashed through my mind. A frenzy of activity, a charging animal, white teeth flashing, and an intense pain, then the black and red of my vision.

Dragging myself back to reality, I carried on talking. "_Back home, dragons are as rare as they are here. There are lots of stories about us, from legends, to poems, to books, to movies, to games. However, my… sire, dam and I were accepted by people. We had a home, enough money to get by, and a lot of other stuff. Hell, I even went through school, which was a pain in the ass. All those essays, exams and crap were awful, and don't get me started on homework. I'm glad I don't have to do that stuff anymore._

_I had friends back there too, human ones. Jack, Mark, Sarah, Jane and Bob. We met up in primary school, when I was six or seven, and we used to do everything together. Well, everything within reason. We played games, watched TV, made bets, had sleepovers, helped each other on homework, played pranks…" _

I sighed, smiling at happy memories. "_Like I said, life was good. Growing up was hard, though. Schoolwork ramped up as I got older, and I started to have less and less free time. I misbehaved in class a couple of times too, either because the work was too easy and I was bored, or just for a laugh, which often landed me in detention."_

_"What's detention?" _Saphira asked.

"_The tenth circle of hell." _I growled with such aggression that Saphira backed away from me a little. "_Basically, the teachers would keep the trouble-making students in class after school, and make them do extra work as punishment. It was absolutely shit."_

_"What was one of the things you did to end up in this detention?"_

I smiled. "_A couple of things. I once stuck a plushy chair thing in the lift and rode up and down on it until someone caught me. There was another time where I raced a wheelie chair down a corridor with a friend, but the best one requires some explaining. So, one of the classes that I was taught stuff in was Chemistry, which is about the properties of matter and reactions and stuff. Our teacher was old, perhaps sixty or seventy. And boy, was he a piece of shit. We used to call him Dr. Meltdown, because when he blew his top, he'd explode- verbally."_

Saphira looked puzzled. _"What does 'blew his top' mean?"_

I groaned. Curse this stupid barrier that prevents fun! _"It basically means that he got, really, really angry. Like, so angry he once threw a kid's phone out the window in the middle of class. And we were on the second floor too, so it was pretty much ruined by the time the kid got it back. And was because of that, I decided to prank him. So before class started one day, I slipped a wireless speaker in one of the drawers behind his desk."_

_"A wireless speaker? Why would someone need to speak with wires anyway?" _Saphira asked.

I resisted the urge to facepalm. Or face_paw_. Whatever. "_You know how my phone plays music, right?" _Saphira nodded, so I carried on. "_My phone can send signals through the air to another device, telling it to play the music that the phone has in it. That other device is the wireless speaker. It's like how you can think something, then send that thought to Eragon, who can say it out loud for you. Got it?"_

_"I believe so. Please, continue."_

_"Okay. So, I put this speaker in one of the drawers behind his desk before class, then I snuck back out again before any teachers can catch me. Later in the day, it's time for Chemistry. We all come into class, we sit down, and Doc Meltdown starts droning on about something sciencey._

_That's when the sound of an air horn blares from the drawer containing my speaker. The Doc jumps half his height as we all start laughing. He glares at us and yells for whoever did it to raise their hand. None of us say anything, so he eventually goes back to teaching. Five minutes later, and a roar from a movie comes out. The Doc does exactly the same thing as before, but this time, his face goes red as we laugh. Then he stops the lesson and starts yelling. As he does, the speaker starts spitting out random sound effects and songs, and he has absolutely no idea where the noise is coming from! This keeps going for the remainder of the lesson, and he eventually just yells us all out of the classroom before flipping his desk over in frustration!"_

Saphira was laughing her head off at this, as was Islingr, and I was chuckling at the memory, but she managed to ask "_But if you got away with it, how did you end up in detention?"_

_"Ah." _I said._ "Well, because the Doc had yelled us out, I had left my speaker behind. And it had my name on it. The Doc eventually found it, and I got landed in detention for a month. It was worth it though!"_

Saphira and I carried on chuckling as the waves rocked our raft and the sun went down, casting a warm orange glow over the sky.

* * *

**Author's note 2: And so our two dragons go sailing off into the sunset. Aww.**** All of these things in school did actually happen, and I was there to witness them! Someone, two someones now I think about it, did take a plushy seat into the lift, then sat on it and pressed the down button. The doors of the lift closed and off they went. Did they get detention? I don't know. The wheelie chair race was done on the top floor, and the people who did it got told off, but not punished. I have exaggerated with the speaker thing, though. That actually happened in computer science, and the teacher just got really confused rather than angry, and nobody got in trouble that I know of. I just thought that it would be funny to exaggerate it, and I hope you guys enjoyed it.**


	12. Chapter 12: The Place Between Places

**Author's note: Sorry for the wait. I aimed to get this done on Sunday, but I just couldn't finish. This chapter is either gonna do well, or just crash and burn. We'll see how it turns out. Also, Blaze1992, the Second Idea is go. Except… bigger. *sigh* Again, sorry for the wait. There might be a long wait after this chapter too, as I've recently picked up a preowned copy of Horizon Zero Dawn, and that may start to take over my free time. May your swords stay sharp, and may your skies stay clear!  
Note 2 (at about 1500 words): Gah! I hate everything I've written!  
Note 3 (at about 2800 words): WHY DID I DO THIS AGAIN? I HATE MYSELF!  
Note 4 (at about 4000 words): Okay, it's actually going a bit better than before.  
Note 5 (whenever I'm finished): This chapter is a monster, and is going for the rank of 'longest chapter I've written', with TRIPLE my regular word count. My weekend was utterly destroyed by writing this, so I hope that you guys all like this. Be prepared for a dump of originality.  
Note 6 (A few weeks later): Regal Eagle noticed that my maths on Plainswalker population was wrong, so I've actually done the sums now. Numbers have changed from about 10,000 Plainswalkers to around 75,000. This means that with the population of the world in 2020, 1 in 44000 of us would become a Plainswalker that doesn't suicide and doesn't die. Cool, eh?**

**In response to reviews/PMs:  
****eragon19519:  
That's an… oddly specific request. Um... Yes for technology in general. Perhaps in an explosive way. All will be explained in due time. As for the cleanup of the radiation on Vroengard, that would probably be an 'after the books' thing if I decide to cover it.  
Wizzer96:  
Thanks for the definition! I think I achieved 'friendship' on the character interaction scale then. As for Cade/Ghidorah's mental defenses, they are strong. Perhaps enough to hold against Galbatorix or a Shade, but not enough to go against the Eggbreaker and his Eldunar****í****. I think that's okay on the power level. As for your comment about other kaiju, the idea factory is now hard at work, so thanks!  
Blaze1992:  
I… I… I'm not even gonna try to answer that… Moving on, I'll try to do more pranks if I can think of any. Maybe on the Twins? Suggestions are welcome.  
OechsnerC:  
Thanks!  
MoosHeadFamLit:  
Yes, I'm alive. It's a shock, I know. Sorry about the wait for the chapter.  
chris:  
Yes, King G's biology is alien, but I'm making Cade a kinda hybrid between King G and an ****Alagaësia****n dragon. Therefore, he has the lightning breath (I know they're called gravity beams, but whatever), as well as Eldunar****í**** (3 of them, the lucky scumbag), and is naturally more resistant to weaponry because of his thicker skin. He doesn't do well with extreme heat or cold, but he does have a regeneration factor, like Wolverine. That's what allowed him to regenerate a head. And he does require oxygen to survive, so he can't go to space.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 12- The place between places.**

When Saphira and I returned to the clifftop from our boat trip, we found that Eragon was waiting for us. He was sitting with his back to a tree, watching the last light of the sun fade from the horizon. He didn't seem to be enjoying the view though.

He watched as Saphira and I came into land, and some of the tension seemed to drain out of his face.

"What took you two so long?" he asked, a smile beginning to form on his face as he made suggestive motions with his hands.

I rolled my eyes as Saphira looked confused. "_Get your head out of the gutter, dude."_

_"What are you two talking about?" _Saphira asked.

"You'll understand _when you're older_." Eragon and I said simultaneously as I found a comfortable space to curl up in.

Saphira huffed and followed my example as Eragon fiddled with a stick he had found from somewhere. Saphira and I waited in silence as he collected his thoughts.

"I had my fortune told today." The Rider finally said, looking from Saphira, to me, and back.

Ah. That.

"_I can leave if you want this conversation to be private." _I offered.

Eragon shook his head. "No, part of this concerns you too."

Now _that _made me curious. Eragon went on to explain about his visit to Angela's store and her prophecy of doom. As he finished, he said "I think Brom was right; I always seem to be where there's trouble."

"_You should remember what the werecat told you." _Saphira said. "_It's important."_

"How do you know?" Eragon asked.

"_I'm not sure, but the names he used felt powerful. _Kuthian…_" _she said, almost tasting the word. "_No, we should not forget what he said."_

"Ghidorah, do you know of any of the names Solembum mentioned?" Eragon asked me. "The Meona tree? The rock of Kuthian? The Vault of Souls?"

"_Yes." _I admitted. I hurriedly continued as the Rider and dragon's eyes lit up. "_But the time isn't right for you two to know. You'll find out what those names mean eventually."_

"_Why do we have to wait?" _Saphira insisted, a small growl building in her throat.

"_Because with great power, comes great responsibility." _I said, three growls of my own rising from my throats. "_Neither of you will fully understand the consequences of what will happen if I tell you what those names mean before it is time for you to know."_

"What consequences?" Eragon asked. "Why would there be consequences?"

"_That's my point." _I sighed, looking both him and Saphira in the eye at once. "_You two aren't experienced enough to understand what forcing these events to happen would be. Just let things happen as they happen. I'm not just saying this as your protector, but as your friend. Trust me on this, guys. Please don't fuck everything up."_

Eragon and Saphira glanced at each other, then back at me.

"_We trust you." _Saphira said reluctantly. "_Though we are not happy with having this loom over us, we defer to your judgement."_

"_Thanks." _I nodded, letting out a breath I didn't know I was holding. "_That would have been a shitstorm to clear up if you said no."_

There was a pause before Eragon asked "When the time is right, you will help us, won't you?"

I gave him a reassuring set of smiles as I laid a claw across the young Rider's shoulders in the same way that I would've done with an arm when I was human. "_Hey, that's what friends are for, right?"_

He relaxed at that, allowing me to press the question that had been eating at me for the evening. "_Now, what the hell did you mean by saying part of this concerns me too?"_

Eragon looked me square in the faces. "Angela asked about you."

"_As the Golden Guardian?"_ I asked hopefully.

"As _King _Ghidorah." He said.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

I went to panic stations. Mental barriers rose, my eyes widened in shock, and my mind kicked into hyperspeed. How the **** had Angela known? Why did she know? Had she read my mind somehow? Was it the dragon's knucklebones? Was it Solembum the werecat? Were there others like me in Alagaësia? Other people from Earth? Did I have company? If so, were they dragons or kaiju like me, or were they still human? Was I under threat? Did my vision fit into this somehow?

"_Explain." _I choked out in a strangled voice, trying not to hyperventilate.

Eragon and Saphira glanced at each other, and I could almost see the mental transmissions going between them. Confusion, worry, fear, question, answer, resolution, understanding.

"Angela said that you aren't supposed to be here," Eragon started, "but since you are, you would either be our closest friend, or our worst enemy."

I grappled with the information. Angela knew. Somehow, she knew that I wasn't from here. She knew that I had a body that wasn't my original one, and had freaking knew it by _name_. I hadn't told _anyone _about the 'King' part of the name I had taken for my own. So, that gave two probable explanations. Either Angela had read my mind, which was unlikely, or she was originally from Earth too.

"After that, she asked if you told me where you came from." The rider went on. "I said that you called it America."

"_And then?" _I asked.

"She smiled, and said that she was from England, and that you'd know where that is. She said that I could trust you, and that she wanted to meet you, and explain what the key is."

I closed my eyes and let out a long, relieved breath, letting my adrenaline high begin to fall. Angela was from Earth, and I wasn't alone. And she'd volunteered information about the mysterious McGuffin that I'd been carrying around since I'd arrived in Alagaësia, so she'd probably have answers about why I'd ended up here.

"_Yeah, I know where England is." _I said when I'd calmed down sufficiently._ "I've never been there, but I know about it. Eragon, could you go to Angela tomorrow and tell her that I'll meet her wherever she wants?"_

The rider nodded. "I will, but I have questions for you first."

I groaned. When Eragon had questions, there would almost never be an end to them. "_Shoot."_

Eragon began to ask what I meant before Saphira said "_Ghidorah means that you should ask your questions, Little One."_

He nodded, then began. "How did Angela know who you are? And why did she call you a king?"

"_Angela and I are from similar places." _I explained. "_England and America are much closer to each other than they are to Alagaësia, and they share a lot of similarities. For example, movies. One of these movies was about giant monsters beating the crap out of each other, featuring a three-headed, golden dragon as one of the combatants. And his name was-"_

_"King Ghidorah?" _Saphira asked.

"_Yup." _I said unenthusiastically. "_And due to the uncanny resemblance, I chose Ghidorah as my name."_

There was quiet before Eragon asked "Did he win the battle?"

"_Huh?"_

"King Ghidorah. Did he win the battle?"

_"Sadly, no."_ I replied, shuffling my bulk around to find a more comfortable position. "_Another monster called Godzilla completely annihilated him when he powered up into his burning form. King G kinda deserved it though, because he would've annihilated humanity if he won._ _Awesome kill, too._"

There was another pause before Saphira asked "_The key that this fortune-teller spoke of, is that the object that you keep on playing with?"_

"_Yeah." _I replied. "_And I still have no idea what it does, so don't bother asking."_

Eragon looked up at the dark sky and cursed. "I'm going to be locked out of Teirm by now."

"_Then stay with us for the night, Little One." _Saphira said. "_The fire inside me will keep the cold at bay."_

Almost subconsciously, I pressed an clawed 'hand' to my chest as Eragon walked over to Saphira and sat down against her flank. I had the regular body heat of most animals, but no inner fire that I could detect, which kinda sucked. Oh well, lightning was more dramatic, and had a better range on it than Saphira's fire, so I had my advantages.

Closing my eyes, I turned over the events of the day in my mind. The beach, the raft, storytelling, flying back, the future, friends, and the promise of answers. Today had been exhausting, both physically and mentally.

Despite this, my mind refused to shut down. I tossed and turned on my patch of the clifftop, which sounded like I was blowing something up every time I changed position. In turn, this kept up Saphira and Eragon, the latter of which offered to put me to sleep with magic. I reluctantly agreed, and so Eragon's "slytha" put me out like anaesthetic would. One moment I felt fine, the next I was out like a light.

* * *

True to his word, Eragon had passed on word to Angela that I'd be able to meet her whenever she wanted. In reply, she'd instructed me to go to a secluded clearing in the middle of the forest outside Teirm in three days. In that time, I couldn't stay still, due to a combination of excitement, anxiety, and nervousness. Saphira tried to help my swinging moods and constant fidgeting, but I could tell that she came very close to asking Eragon to put me to sleep until it was time for me to meet up with Angela.

* * *

Finally, the day came. I was in the clearing bright and early, fiddling around with whatever I could get my claws on to deal with my nervousness. I'd left my bag, and therefore Islingr, with Saphira, although I'd brought my key. This meeting would be personal, and I didn't want any uninvited guests to be listening in. Not to mention that I'd be faced with a mountain of questions afterwards.

As the sun cast its cold light through the morning mist, I heard the cracking of branches and sticks and a lot of cursing. I stood up on all fours as Angela emerged from the forest, desnagging part of her clothing from a stray stick. She was short, with dark, curly hair that fell to her shoulders.

"So," she began, looking me over, "should I address you as 'him' or 'them'?"

"_Wait, what?" _I questioned, cocking my heads in confusion.

"I'll take that as the former then." Angela said. "You're definitely a single consciousness."

I held up a clawed hand in confusion. "_Wait, are you asking whether I have multiple personality disorder or something? Because I'm pretty sure that I'm sane."_

Angela shook her head with a smile. "Nobody's sane, my friend. Some people are a little more coherent than others. Although I wouldn't be surprised if you had started to lose your grip on reality, given what's happened to you."

_"Well, perhaps if you explained why the fuck I'm not in Kansas anymore, and why I'm not even me, that would help." _I retorted. Then my voice became noticeably more desperate, even to myself. "_In all seriousness, please tell me what the hell's going on. I've just been rolling with the situation since I got here, and I need more answers than from the panic attack Eragon gave me a few days ago."_

"First, let's introduce ourselves." Angela said, sticking out a hand which I shook with a claw. "You probably know me as Angela, a witch and herbalist. I lived in England under the same name until I died in 2005 as a result of a direct attack by a Shadow, which is more than most of our people can say."

"_What's a-" _I tried to ask, but Angela cut me off.

"Introductions first, questions later."

"_Really?" _I asked, a little exasperated.

Angela nodded. "If you want answers, then you tell me who you are, where you used to live, and how you died, capishe?"

I sighed, then started my story. "_You probably know me as King Ghidorah, although I just go by Ghidorah. My real name is Cade Mason, I'm almost seventeen, and I lived in the USA before I went on a camping trip where a b-"_ I mentally choked up and tried again with_ "a predatory mammal ripped my guts out in Glacier National Park. Now I'm living in a fictional world in the body of a three-headed monster, and I'm currently talking to someone else from my homeworld who won't give me answers. Happy now?"_

The woman rolled her eyes. "Fine. Though technically, Earth, or BR-01 is our home_realm_. Now, ask away Cade."

I shivered as Angela called me by my proper name. It felt strange to hear it here, being so far away from home, but it was welcome nonetheless. "_Right."_ I said, getting my thoughts in order before deciding "_Actually, you explain, and I'll ask as you go."_

"Very well." Angela said, sitting down on a tree stump. "You might want to lie down, because this will take a while. Feel free to go into culture shock." I plonked my confused ass on the ground as she began to speak. "As you have no doubt realised, the multiverse exists. Therefore, there are infinite amounts of universes out there. And with an infinite space, there are infinite dangers. The greatest of these are called Shadows. They have the capability to cross dimensional barriers, and like many others, they want to rule the multiverse for their own selfish reasons.

The good news is, they're few in number. The bad news is that they're extremely powerful. And like pretty much always, there are those who fight to stop them, a group that you and I are a part of. We call ourselves Plainswalkers, a term that we borrowed from various pieces of what we all used to call fiction until we realised that we could go there. Got that?"

I nodded. "_The Shadows are the bad guys, and we, the Plainswalkers are out to stop them from taking universes over, right?"_

"Pretty much."

Plainswalker… I'd heard that term before. "_What do the Shadows look like?" _I asked.

"Generally, they're formed from darkness, with blazing red eyes." Angela replied.

My eyes widened in shock. So it was a Shadow that had scared me shitless in that vision!

Angela saw my reaction, and carried on talking. "I'm going to guess that you've had one of them visit you in a nightmare depicting how you died. That's fairly common, so don't worry. Most of us like to think that they do it to remind us that they're still out there, but they probably just enjoy gloating over us. Anyway, I'm going off on a tangent. We're not entirely sure how the Shadows do it, but we have our own way of travelling from realm to realm."

"_Realm?" _I asked.

"Whatever you call the different universes." Angela explained. "The official term is realm, although world, reality and dimension are also used, even if they're not technically accurate. Now, back to what I was saying. We can move through the multiverse by harnessing the Rift, which is sort of like a wormhole. To do this in a controlled manner, we use keys that have a specific and direct realm-to-realm connection."

With that, Angela brought out her key, and held it up for me to get a good look at it while I brought out my own key from under my wing. The two keys looked exactly the same on the side displaying the city, but on the side where I had a picture of Eragon, Saphira, myself, and now Brom, Angela had a picture of Teirm instead, which seemed to be from almost exactly the same position as where Saphira and I had taken to sleeping at. Angela's key was also much smaller than mine, being about the same size as a phone, rather than a plate.

"These keys have a connection from Alagaësia, or realm AL-IC, to a central realm that us Plainswalkers use as a hub. We call it Locostral, realm PL-NS, which apparently means something like 'the centre place'. That's the city on the side of our keys that are the same. We use it as a combination of a meeting place, a second home for when we need it, and a nexus to travel beyond the realms that our keys can access. Multiversal travellers sometimes pass through too, they're fun at parties."

"_Something that I don't get among this insanity," _I said, taking the information in stride, "_is how I got to Alagaësia in the first place, as well as why I'm a dragon instead of my usual self, and how I got hold of the key."_

"That's understandable." Angela said. "You may recall dying being the last thing that you did before you arrived here, correct?"

I gave a deadpan look of 'are you kidding me?'

Angela smirked and carried on talking. "Plainswalkers have two lives. The first is the one where we live in ignorance; going to school, going to work, slacking off when we can, etcetera. Then, either through natural causes, or something a little more drastic, we are killed. Because of our connection to the Rift, we are pulled through it to another realm as we die, and our body is reconstructed to something from our recent memory that would fit in with our surroundings. This has a nice side-effect of making us immortal unless get some kind of disease or get hacked to pieces. I imagine that you watched Godzilla: King of the Monsters within the month that you died, so you got two extra heads to play with. It's never the same form for two Plainswalkers though. We still don't understand why that is.

As for the key, that's down to a little magic from Locostral. We have a vault of keys there, each of them forming a link between Locostral and another realm. Each of them has a spell placed on them that will detect when a Plainswalker is shot through the Rift when they die, and will track them to their destination. Then a key that is coded to that realm will send itself to that Plainswalker, and give an alert to the council that we have a new member. After that, any Plainswalkers in that reality- myself in your case- will attempt to find the newbie- you- and explain what's going on, or one of the Elders will. Do you understand all that?"

"_I think so." _I said, still processing the information. "_So, Shadows = bad, Plainswalkers = good, and there's a multidimensional wormhole called the Rift which I can access using this key, and that will get me to a place called Locostral that's full of people that have gone through the same thing?"_

"If you want to summarise it, then yes."

"_And here I was only thinking that I'd landed in another world and just had to be careful not to fuck up the timeline." _I groaned, feeling very out of depth.

Angela smiled. "Don't worry yourself over it. Like I said, there are very few Shadows. We aren't entirely sure how many there are, but we think that the number is in the triple digits. They tend to go for realms that they can easily tip the scales on too, like Middle Earth, and when they do show up, we do a scrum."

"_A what now?" _I asked, sure that I'd heard incorrectly.

"It's exactly like it sounds." Angela said. "When a Plainswalker finds a shadow, he or she will open up a gateway to Locostral, and contact the Elders. In turn, they will send out a call to all Plainswalkers, who will return to Locostral, then travel through the open gateway to the realm that the Shadow is in and attack en masse."

"_Really?" _I asked.

Angela nodded. "It's quite funny to watch actually. When there's a good number of us, seeing a Shadow getting the shit beaten out of them is less like a fight, and more like a slapstick comedy. I think that the Elders have some recordings somewhere. I'll try to dig them out for you sometime."

I smiled toothily. "_That sounds like fun, but I don't get how the key works. I've tried slotting it into the air, but it won't turn."_

"Ah." Angela sighed. "You have to stab yourself with it first."

"_I have to _what_?" _I asked, shocked.

"It's a security measure, or at least damage control." Angela explained. "A long, long time ago, there was a Plainswalker who went rogue. He stole a load of keys and started bouncing himself all over the multiverse. He was eventually caught, but not before he had torn down the structure of fifteen realms, letting the Shadows take over. After that, the Elders made it so that a Plainswalker could only use a single key. Your key requires for you to imprint on it before you can use it. After that, if you try to use any other key, it will recognise that you aren't its user, so it will refuse to work for you. The imprint works on a combination of your consciousness, and your DNA, so it requires a blood sample. Therefore, the easiest way for you to imprint on it is for you to stab yourself with it."

That… kind of made sense. In a similar way that I had to enter a password on a computer, I'd have some kind of bio-signature that the key could read.

"_Who are these Elders that you keep talking about?" _I questioned. "_Are they in charge?"_

"Yes. They're made up of a combination of Plainswalkers and multiversal travellers. Last time I checked, we had about ten of us Plainswalkers, two Time-Lords, Vector Prime, a Tenno who wears a Limbo Warframe, and The Ancient One from the MCU. They generally take charge for any important decisions or events, but they're usually fairly relaxed with what we're allowed to do."

"_Which includes?" _I prompted.

"Well, we're allowed to change things from a predefined story if we want to, which is generally done to prevent a large loss of life. We can also take people who aren't Plainswalkers to Locostral if we have to, generally to explain what exactly we are, although I imagine that you might take through Eragon and Saphira to watch TV or to play videogames. Talking about technology, we can bring various bits of it back to the realms that we look after, either to help out or just to pass the time."

"_Is there anything we can't do?" _I asked, surprised by this strange lack of rules.

"There are things that are blacklisted." Angela said. "Items, two or three realms, and you can be done for DWI."

"_Driving while intoxicated?" _I laughed. "_I don't think that I have to worry about that."_

"_Dematerialising _while intoxicated, but they're similar." the herbalist explained. "In short, don't get drunk and then go through the rift, don't touch dangerous stuff like the One Ring, but the simplest rule is often the most dangerous. If your form is that of a villain, do _not_ try to go to the realm that your form comes from. It never, ever ends well."

I nodded. "_I get it. Like, if I was the Joker and went to the DC universe, then I'd jet jailed for life or stuck on death row. Or if I went somewhere with Godzilla in it, I probably won't come out alive."_

"There's something else." Angela said, her eyes downcast. "You can't go to Earth."

"_What?" _I asked, my high spirits taking a nosedive like a pug flying a plane. "_Can't I-"_

Angela sighed, cutting me off. "No, you can't even take one trip home. And this isn't just because of your form."

"_But-"_

The herbalist raised a hand for silence, and I was shocked to see tears in her eyes. "Cade, I know that this is harsh. Every Plainswalker is from Earth, albeit from different time periods. We all get homesick, and we all want to just take one more look at our homerealm, our family, our old lives. But we can't. We all look like someone from some piece of fiction. If we went home, nobody would recognise us as ourselves, and they'd probably call the army out on you.

If you do, by some miracle, meet up with your relatives, they will deny that it's you. They'll insist that you're dead. That will hurt you far more than never being able to see them again. Trust me, among a select few, I've been one of us that have reached Earth and tried to reconnect. Please Cade, don't try it. It's… it's heartbreaking, to say the least, and most of us who do it… are no longer with us. Treasure the memories of home you have, don't go looking for more."

I was stunned. I hadn't considered the possibility of rejection, and the psychological damage it could cause.

Thinking about it, I hesitantly asked "_For us Plainswalkers, what's the suicide rate?"_

Angela gritted her teeth and looked away. "High. I'd be lying if I said it was under sixty percent. Humans, even former humans, don't deal with change well. Some believe that this is all a dream or a simulation. Others simply can't compute what has happened to them. Still more object to the reality of their situation for religious reasons."

Holy flaming crap on a fucking cracker. A fucking_ sixty percent _suicide rate?! That couldn't be right. I mean, there were two of us here, so...

"_You don't think that I…" _I stuttered_ "I mean… I wouldn't, would I? This is a second chance for me. Would I really get to a point where I'd want to waste that chance?"_

Angela shook her head with a small, sad smile. "I can tell that you're going to stay around to annoy me. You're coping surprisingly well, too. The Plainswalkers who have animalistic forms are often among the first to… to pass on again. You knew where you were, and what you were from the beginning, and you proactively used that information to your advantage. That puts you solidly in the 'I want to live' group. Like you said, this is a second chance, and you're making the most of it."

The herbalist gave me a moment to process that, then carried on talking in a more cheerful tone. "After all that, I think I've covered all the basics, and given the necessary warnings. Now, we'll get your key imprinted, and then we'll see what you think of Locostral."

"_Wait, now?" _I asked in a squeaky voice.

"Of course." Angela said. "Why else do you think we're meeting this early?"

I nervously shifted my weight around. "_Okay then, but about this 'imprinting' thing-"_

Quicker than I could think, Angela grabbed my key and stabbed me in the chest with it. Or tried to, at least. The key made a tinkling _klink_ as its points impacted my scales, then stopped.

There was a short pause as I incredulously asked "_Did you just try to stab me? Who the fuck taught you manners?"_

"It's the easiest way to bond the key to you." The witch said, trying again with the same result.

"_You might want to try somewhere else."_ I said, still a little shocked at how abruptly Angela was doing things.

She nodded, then walked around to one of my wings. "Cade, what's your favourite colour?"

"_I don't get what that has to do with-" _I got out before my key was forced into my wing membrane. It felt like a flu shot at first, a quick stab, then an ache as Angela pulled the key out. Then my blood seemed to turn into fire and I roared in pain, letting out a triple cry that would probably echo all the way to Vroengard.

"They say that it hurts less if it's a surprise." Angela said with sympathy as I gritted my teeth against the throbbing.

_"That's bullshit." _I whined before fending off mental messages from Islingr, Sahpira, Brom and Eragon, asking if I was okay. I told them I was fine, but I'd probably need the rest of the day off. They all reluctantly agreed, and I was free to complain to Angela again.

She was examining the puncture in my wing that my key had made- or rather, where the puncture had been. My skin had already knitted itself back together, leaving me whole.

Angela ran her hand over the small scar that was left, her eyes wide. "That's amazing! I've never seen someone with regeneration abilities that act so fast!"

"_That's nothing." _I growled, pulling my wing away from her and pointing at the scarred scales near the base of my left neck. "_I got this sucker covered with the bleach of death- Seithr oil- and had to bite through it at the base to stop the stuff from getting into the rest of my body. It only took a few days for it to grow back completely."_

Angela whistled. "And how did that feel?"

I gave her a deadpan look. "_It hurt like shit, what do you think it was like? After that, it itched like I had a colony of ants calling it home. And then it turned into this strange gelatine-like cocoon that I had to tear off. So, in general, it was about equivalent to homework on the pain scale."_

The herbalist laughed. "Good to see that you still have a sense of humour after our rather depressing talk earlier. Anyway, let's get on to opening a gateway."

* * *

It took a while for me to finally be prepared to open a portal. I was instructed on how I should use the key properly too.  
It turned out that I had the right idea by slotting the key into the air and twisting. However, I wasn't connected to the key then. Now, I had to feel for a connection to this mysterious 'Rift', which I could supposedly harness to form a portal, then push its power into my key.

I felt pretty stupid at the start, standing with my eyes closed, trying to 'feel the force flow through me', but after a while of meditating, my consciousness spread wide over the landscape, I did encounter something at the fringes of my awareness. Prodding it, I felt it hit back, hard- so hard that I actually winced and staggered, my eyes snapping open as my connection broke.

"So, you finally found your connection." said Angela.

"_How the heck did you know?" _I asked, pressing a clawed hand to my middle head to try and stop the pounding headache I was now developing.

"The Rift is untameable, savage even. We Plainswalkers can harness it, but it requires strength to beat it into submission. And even then, we have to have our keys to guide us to Locostral and back. Apart from suicide and Shadow attacks, the Rift is the most frequent cause of deaths for Plainswalkers. It requires concentration for you to open a gateway and to stay on course in transit, and you if you're distracted, you get either get obliterated by a quantum storm, or you get cast out into a random realm with serious injuries."

"_And you're telling me this now?" _I squeaked, dropping my key with a _thud. _

"You're a dragon, Cade." Angela deadpanned. "You'll easily be strong enough to get through. For now, just try to create a gate. We'll try travelling through after you can do that."

Locating the Rift's pull again was difficult, but I managed to get it quicker than before. It bucked and slammed at my hold on it, but I managed to channel a small part of it into my key. With a snarl, I jabbed said key forward, twisted, and pulled it away. For the first time, the key did its job. A massive, flickering, orange vortex span into being, small tendrils of energy dribbling off the swirling edges. They kind of acted like a liquid and a gas at the same time, dripping off the vortex, but still circling around it. Looking into the centre of the portal was like looking through a kaleidoscope. All I could make out was rushing orange with occasional darker shades flicking through it.

"_This is trippy." _I commented, my mouths hanging open as I surveyed the tear I'd created in reality. Cautiously, I poked a claw into the surface of the vortex. When I pulled it back out, the orange matter trailed after it before returning back into the portal.

Angela surveyed my work and patted me on my right nose. "That's very, very good for a first attempt. I reckon that we could go to Locostral through this. It seems stable enough. However, I need to teach you how to close a gateway first. As you know, the Rift doesn't like to be contained. It's hard to open a portal, but harder to close one, since the Rift will start to push through it. Power is going to build up behind this until it reaches critical mass and splurges, or until you close it."

_"Should I even ask what a splurge is?" _I questioned.

"Yes. Yes, you should." Angela replied, so I waited for an explanation. And waited. Angela sighed. "You asked whether you should _ask_ what a splurge is, but you didn't ask what a splurge is. Honestly, almost nobody cares about what they say."

"_Fine."_ I grumbled, watching the vortex with one head while the other two glared at Angela. "_What's a splurge?"_

She laughed. "That expression is exactly the same as the one my dog used when he was cross. Of course, that was back when I had a dog. Anyway, a splurge is the equivalent of popping a water balloon. If the water was highly pressurised liquid energy that gives the equivalent of getting hit in the face by a nuclear blast, that is."

"_Can we close this thing before that happens?!" _I squeaked in panic.

"Calm down, we've got about a minute before that happens." Angela said as carefree as if about a minute was the length of time from the dinosaurs to now. "Plenty of time. Almost too much, actually."

"_Justtellmehowtocloseit!" _I screeched. As if responding to my panic, the vortex started becoming more and more erratic, its open face beginning to warp and deform.

"Oh look, now you've upset it!" Angela said, giving me a disapproving scowl as the vortex started to bulge outwards.

I lost all semblance of patience at that point. With a surge of movement, I pinned Angela underneath a clawed hand and yelled "_THIS IS NOT FUNNY! WE'RE GOING TO DIE UNLESS I CLOSE THAT, SO TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"_

"You do know that I was kidding, right?" the herbalist laughed between gulps of air as the vortex dissolved with a cheerful _bloop_, leaving behind some sort of orange slime. "Oh, they weren't lying when they said that pulling that on newbies is priceless!"

_"YOU… YOU DID ALL THAT… FOR A LAUGH?!"_ I roared, my emotions changing from relief to rage faster than I could think.

Angela only laughed harder, reminding me about how I'd almost eaten Eragon, as I put it 'for a laugh'. Grumbling to myself that 'it wasn't funny', I reluctantly let Angela up, then cuffed her around the head.

She just shook her head, a smile on her face. Fending off chuckles, she said "Open the portal again. We'll go through this time."

I snarled at her, but did as she requested. Draw power, thrust key into air, turn, pull back. Simple. The vortex swirled into being again, the now familiar orange swirl filling the morning.

"_So do I just walk through?" _I asked.

"You might want to take a deep breath first, but yes." Angela replied. "Your key will generate a path inside the Rift. All you have to do is follow it. Also, be aware that you're going to have a crowd waiting for you. It's not every day that we find another Plainswalker."

"_With this high mortality rate we have," _I asked, "_How many of us are there?"_

"Not many more than seventy five thousand." Angela replied. At my surprised expression she explained "We aren't very common, even before all the risks of dying. Since the start of written fiction, there's been about 250,000 of us to start off with. Subtract those of us who've died and suicided, and you get the picture. Now, enough dilly-dallying. Time for you to meet some strange and interesting people."

With that, Angela walked straight into the portal, which swallowed her with a _schloop._ Mentally bracing myself, I followed her into the vortex. It felt cold. Really, really cold. A shiver passed through me as I emerged into a rushing cylindrical current of orange light that grabbed at me and tried to pull me along with it. I instinctively spread my wings and pushed off whatever was calling itself ground. With that, the current wrapped itself around me and shot me down the path that the Rift was taking.

I whooped with exhilaration as I went faster and faster, flying like a rocket down this channel. Before too long, I met a junction in the stream of light. I felt my key tug at me to go left, like some kind of inter-dimensional sat-nav. I followed the thing's instructions until it finally had me headed straight towards a dead end. Of course, it was a dead end for the Rift, but not for me. I slammed through the flat surface, breaking through it as if I was a bullet emerging from a gun.

I had vague impressions of sunlight, gleaming skyscrapers, a random hot air balloon, and then blue skies before I realised that the floor was now behind me rather than below me. I soared upward for a few seconds more, then gravity and physics started to reapply in a very Portal-like fashion and I went into a stall. Tumbling back towards the ground, I managed to flip myself over so that my heads were now facing the ground.

As I saw the scene below me, my thought process went to '_Shit! Shit!_ _Shit!_' Bridges and skyscrapers clogged up the sky, and where they weren't, various aerial vehicles and creatures soared. This was going to be a severe pain in the ass for me to get back down to the ground. I could see a massive pool of liquid Rift, where Angela would be presumably be waiting for me.

Gritting my three sets of fanged teeth, I plotted a pathway that would allow me to get back to the ground with a minimal amount of broken bones and started to execute it. I pulled up a little, then had to tuck my wings as close into my body as I could to pass through a gap under a bridge. Snapping my wings back out, I corkscrewed past a statue of some kind, then had to dive below some kind of hovering platform before tightly banking along the curve of a skyscraper, the windows rattling as I passed.

My flight continued in that chaotic manner until I finally touched down next to the Rift pool with a _boom_. Thankfully, only Angela was there.

"You have a long way to go if you want to break the record for the highest breach." She said, staring at me as I panted like a worn out dog.

"_Breach?" _I gasped. "_I assume that's something to do with how far someone can get out of the Rift."_

"That's right." Angela said before grabbing a spike on one of my heads, pulling it along as she walked. "I think that the record is about a kilometre and a half, but come on! You're going to be late for your own welcoming at this rate."

I groaned, but allowed myself to be led trough the city. And this was a city. I could see gleaming skyscrapers of varying colours and sizes, large parks of soaring trees, a few marketplaces. One skyscraper even had a climbing wall up one side of it. There were bridges between the buildings too, as well as numerous hovering platforms which showcased various surfaces, such as fountains, statues, a bouncy castle and more. There were also a few rivers that flowed through the city, spanned by numerous bridges. All of it was surrounded by large mountains, most of them soaring high, high into the clouds.

A thought occurred to me, and I asked Angela "_You know that the key shows this place is on a floating island, right? Are we actually-"_

"Yes we are, and no you can't go and see the edge right now. We've got to go to the Gathering first. They're meetings that we have in the stadium once every week. Everyone who can comes in and we discuss possible Shadow activity, introduce newbies and get them housed, and request help for difficult times in our assigned realms."

"_What do you mean, 'get me housed'?" _I asked, stopping to pick a piece of gum off my foot. With a futuristic, magical city like this, you would have thought that they'd figure out a solution to that problem.

"You'll get a place of your own here." Angela explained. "It's up to the clan leaders to decide which group of us will take you in, and you'll stay with them. Clans are just small groups of Plainswalkers that stick together, kind of like the separate houses in Harry Potter, except we don't have a Slytherin equivalent. Okay, we _might_ do, but they're just pranksters, not evil."

"_So which group will I be slotted into?" _I asked.

Angela flashed me a smile. "I've already talked to one of the clan leaders that you'd be coming. She said that she'd be more than happy to take you in."

By this point, we'd arrived at the stadium. Since I was way too big to fit through the regular doors, Angela had to go inside and open up a service door that seemed to have been specially designed for the larger Plainswalkers, such as me. From there, we walked around to an exit that lead onto the main field, but we stood in the shadowy doorway instead of going out.

I could hear someone saying something about the next Shadow patrol being the day after tomorrow, but I asked "_What kind of games are played here?"_

"It depends." Angela whispered back. "Sometimes it's Football-"

"_Soccer." _I corrected, to which Angela rolled her eyes.

"It's _Football_, you poor, misguided soul, but we also play Baseball, Cube, and Ultimate Quidditch here."

_"Ultimate Quidditch?" _I echoed.

"You might enjoy that actually." Angela considered before explaining that the game was exactly the same as in Harry Potter, but all flying Plainswalkers could compete, so I was eligible to play. Even though attacking other players was forbidden, there were still similar injuries to what happened in the actual game.

When we finished talking, the guy who was announcing stuff called out "Does anyone have anything important, interesting, or funny to share or declare?"

Angela strode out into the light. "I do, Elders. A new arrival."

This caused quite the stir with the crowd. A couple of pre-emptive cheers and whistles sounded as the guy who had been talking, probably an Elder, said "Then let's welcome our newest member!"

I took that as my call to walk out onto the field. There were a few gasps of astonishment, but then the cheers started. I looked around the stadium in a daze as I walked to the centre of the field. 'Diverse' wasn't a term large enough to describe how different one Plainswalker was from the next. I saw people who were tall, short, fat, thin, robots, creatures, ghosts, cyborgs, all of them looking like a character from some form of fiction. Wild grins covered my faces and I decided that showing off a little couldn't hurt.

I sent a flare of electricity through my body, turning my eyes a glowing yellow as the crackling beams of charge started flickering over my body. The crowd went wild, yelling, stomping, roaring, clanking and hooting their approval as I stood on my hind legs, spread my wings, threw back my heads, and shot lightning into the sky to rabid applause. Falling back to all fours, I dipped my heads in acknowledgement of the praise and turned towards an area of seating raised above the rest. I could only see three people; a centaur, some kind of humanoid robot, and a Marty McFly lookalike, but I presumed that these were the Elders.

The robot smiled at his companions, shrugged, then stood, saying "Welcome to Locostral!"

So he was the guy who had been talking earlier.

"_It's an honour to be here." _I replied with a smile. Wait, would he even be able to hear me? I mean, he'd have to have some kind of computer instead of a brain-

"What's your name?"

Okay then, time to throw logic out of the window. "_My given name was Cade Mason, but I took up Ghidorah a while back, considering, well, me."_

"And what realm have you come from?"

"_Alagaësia, sir."_

I could almost see him access a database and scan through it to see what I was talking about, but he nodded in understanding. "A kaiju in a land of dragons, now that will be interesting." A rub of his chin later, and he called out "Clan leaders! Who is willing to offer our newest member a place in their group?"

I heard a flapping of wings, and turned my heads to see an emerald green copy of Smaug touch down next to me and bow her head to the Elder. She was a little bigger than me, which was weird, since I had become used to being the largest thing in my environment.

"I'll take him in, Elder Abraxus." She said, looking over at me with a reassuring smile.

The Elder nodded. "Another dragon to join your merry band, Gem?"

"Yes, Sir. Cade shall be welcome with my clan, if he wishes to stay with us."

"And do you, Cade?"

I shrugged. "_Sure. Staying with other dragons sounds good."_

"Then it's decided." Elder Abraxus decreed. "And with that, our meeting is concluded, although I imagine that I'll see some of you for paintball later! Good fortune to you all!"

There was another cheer from the crowd, and everyone started to leave the stadium. Turning to Gem, I nervously shifted my weight as three other dragons ran onto the field and met up with us. They were a blue-eyed Night Fury, a blue, wingless dragon with an eel-like tail, and a dark red dragon that I hesitantly pegged as a Norwegian Ridgeback. It had been a long time since I last browsed the Harry Potter wiki.

"I'll leave you to get acquainted with your new friends." Angela said, patting my flank before hurrying off to join a group of people that were waiting for her.

"_Did she just bail on me?" _I asked, turning back to the group.

Gem shook her head and started walking, forcing the rest of us to do the same. "Angela's probably just keen to meet up with her group. You'll understand that in time. Anyway, welcome to our clan, the Bluepeak Riftwalkers!"

"I still think that we should have gone with 'Those idiots who don't know what they're doing and keep setting fire to things.'" The Night Fury grumbled.

"Yeah, because that just rolls off of the tongue." The wingless dragon said.

"Shut up Paddles."

"No, you shut up Jacob!"

Gem sighed and smacked both of them on the head with her tail. "We have a new guy, so why don't you give a good first impression of yourselves, then go back to bickering later?"

"Sorry Boss." They both said.

"Don't call me that!"

The two dragons grinned at each other. "Sorry Boss, won't happen again."

I could tell that the Ridgeback was trying hard not to crack up, but she said nothing as Gem raised her eyes to the sky and shook her head in mock despair. "Why, oh why, did I take you two in?" Then she turned to me. "Sorry, we haven't properly introduced ourselves. I'm Gemma, but I prefer Gem, and I died in December 2013 at the age of 19."

The Ridgeback said "My name's Sal, I died in October 2016 when I was 17 years old."

The Night Fury went next with a gummy smile. "Hi, I'm Jacob. I kicked the bucket in June 2013, at 15 years old."

"And you haven't mentally aged since you were a toddler." The wingless dragon grumbled, resulted in an offended shriek. He continued as if he hadn't been interrupted, saying "I'm Robert, but everyone calls me Paddles. I died in May, 2015 at 18 years old."

"_Why do people call you Paddles?" _I asked curiously.

"I was a competitive swimmer before I croaked." He explained. "I guess that whatever changes us took that into account, because I'm built for swimming, not for flying."

"_The absence of wings kinda clued me into that." _I said.

Paddles rolled his eyes good naturedly. "Okay genius, so what's your story?"

"_As I've said, call me Cade or Ghidorah. I don't really mind which. I think I died in August earlier this year at my current age of 16."_

"How did you die?" Jacob asked. "I got hit by a car, so nothing special there. Gem got blown up by a ruptured gas line, Sal caught some kind of disease, and Paddles drowned, ironically enough."

"To be fair," Paddles argued, "it happened in the ocean, which is completely different to a pool. I got seaweed knotted around my foot while I was underwater, and I couldn't get back to the surface, so it had nothing to do with my skill."

"That's what you always say, fish-breath. Now come on bolt-brain, how did your first life end?"

A vision of claws flashing entered my mind. Teeth bit down. I felt pain, despair, fear.

I was dragged back to the present by someone calling my name. "Cade? Locostral to Cade, you with us?"

I closed my eyes and shook my heads to clear them. Opening them again, I could see Gem, Sal, Paddles and Jacob looking back to where I'd stopped. "_Sorry." _I murmured, starting walking again. "_I sometimes get flashbacks."_

"It's okay, it happens to most of us." Sal reassured me. "Well, not me, given that my death wasn't that traumatic, but a lot of people here go through the same thing. If you don't want to talk about it, then we understand, but the best way to deal with it is to let it out."

I sighed. "_I can't even say the name of the thing that… killed me. It feels weird to say that."_

"How about twenty questions or something?" Jacob asked.

"_That'll work._" I decided.

* * *

We had hit 37 questions before they had finally guessed right. And I'd know, because I mercilessly mocked them for how terrible they were at the game. I'd also asked which realms everyone was 'on duty' for. Gem had taken the How To Train Your Dragon movies, while Jacob had taken the books. Apparently, that was because Night Furies were rare enough that he'd instantly have a target on his back, but he still wanted to be involved with the series that his form was part of. Sal was part of the twenty-Plainswalker team that patrolled Middle Earth, although it was apparently still in its pre-Hobbit stage. Finally, in a strange twist from the stereotype of going to realms with dragons in them, Paddles took care of Pirates of the Caribbean. I had no idea how that would work, be he apparently enjoyed it.

By then, we'd arrived at the foot of one of one of the larger mountains surrounding the city. It was strange to see various shops and fast-food places then have the street abruptly end with a mechanised door stuck in a rock face, which reminded me of the cauldrons from Horizon Zero Dawn. As advertised by the name of the clan, the peak of the mountain was tinted a bright blue.

"_Don't you have to worry about burglars or thieves?" _I wondered as the door opened automatically and we piled inside a massive cargo lift, which turned out to be a rather cramped fit.

"Nope." Gem said as someone hit the up button, and Jacob and Paddles got into another argument. "Everyone has everything they need, and if you want something else, you can request it from the quartermasters. They're pretty good with getting stuff to us all, even the unusual requests; special food, extra-large videogame controllers, stink bombs."

"_Stink bombs?" _I chuckled.

"Don't joke about those." Sal warned. "They're bad enough for humans, but with a dragon's sense of smell, they're unbearable."

"_Why is the mountaintop blue?" _I asked.

"It started off as a kind of feud, then developed into a joke." Gem explained. "We aren't the only group of dragons here. There was some kind of challenge along the lines of 'we'll stop egging your mountain the day snow turns blue'. So with the help of a little magic, Monut Bluepeak was crating. In retaliation, they decided to turn the top of their mountain red, resulting in Mount Bloodtop. Another group followed suit with purple, and given that this happened around the time _Infinity War _came out, we got Mount Thanos."

Now that made me laugh.

The lift dinged open, and we all filed out into a massive room, with windows looking out over Locostral city, letting in warm sunlight. The first thing I noticed was that everything was dragon sized. The TV, the circular table, a couch with a back that could fold down in sections (presumably to allow us to sit on it without our tails getting in the way), everything was the right size for me, which was a noticeable upgrade to my 'normal' life. The room also had a large ramp spiralling up its edge, with doors of various colours, materials and styles set into the rocky wall. They probably lead into everyone's bedrooms or something.

Gem lead me up to the ramp as everyone went their separate ways. Stopping at the fifth door, a white one with three golden lightning bolts painted on it, she stopped and turned back to me. "This is your room. We weren't sure what you'd like it to be like, so everyone took their best guess, but you can change it however you want."

Nodding, I pushed open the door with two of my three heads and walked inside, not exactly knowing what to expect. The walls were predominantly white, with golden lines resembling circuitry here and there. A skylight was set in the ceiling, letting in sunlight, but it was on some kind of system that would allow it to move to the side and let my fly in and out if I needed to. As for furniture, there was a wide, flat screen TV, some kind of videogame console that I'd never seen before, a bed along one side of the room that big enough to fit me, even at my full length, a cupboard and a not so mini-fridge for snacks, and a set of shelves for any various possessions that I might have.

In short, I loved it.

Turning to Gem, I tried to put my thanks into words, but she said "Hey, it's fine. We always do this for the new person, so be prepared for next time. I'll let you poke around in here for a bit before I come to retrieve you for a game of Smash Ultimate. We're going to go paintballing later. Coming along is compulsory, so I hope you're a good shot."

"_In videogames, yes." _I said. "_In real life? I once shot myself in the eye with a NERF gun, so expect some friendly fire."_

Gem laughed and closed the door, leaving me to explore my little bit of my new home.


	13. Chapter 13- Let's raid Area 51!

**Authors note: Hello everyone! *Checks Factorio on second screen, then returns to typing.* I updated the cover! Woot woot! What do you guys think of it? *Goes on to read reviews and PMs* Blimey! While I appreciate the input of everyone who likes my stuff, I am very close to just banning shapeshifting from the reviews and my PM purely because of all the demands for it. I get that you guys want it! As for covering it, maybe I will, maybe I won't, because the Plainswalking stuff is the main 'gimmick' for this story. You'll just have to wait and see. Yes, I am evil. I'm also very happy to see that the last chapter was received well overall, so thanks everyone! I was really nervous about releasing that, but it seems to have done alright. I'm not sure where this story is on stats, but it's taken the title for 'longest story so far', and has the most reviews, to thanks to my RRFFers! (Okay, now I've checked and we're on 3,782 views, 51 reviews, 55 follows and 41 favs! Thanks everyone, let's see if we get to 4,000 views before New Year's!) May your swords stay sharp and may your skies stay clear!**

**In response to reviews/PMs:  
****Blaze1992: Your description of the Plainswalkery stuff is basically what I was thinking when I wrote it. Parts of Ready Player One were helpful for Locostral. If you really, really want an answer to your question, I'm going to go by canon and say that pain and stuff can be felt by both dragon and rider as long as they're in range of each other, although they can block it out if they need to. As for other OCs helping Cade/Ghidorah out, yes that will happen eventually. I'm also going to start working on a fairly short escapade where Cade goes to the HTTYD movieverse. (I've already titled it, but I don't want to give anything away yet!) Expect that to come around sooner or later.  
****eragon95159: I think I covered the shapeshifting matter, but cool ideas for alternate forms.  
****OechsnerC: Thanks, I appreciate it!  
****Wizzer96: I'm guessing that by 'do you accept OCs' you mean do I accept OCs submitted by the people who read the story? If so, then yes, I will. As for the dragon suggestions, thanks! I can definitely fit some of those in. I can definitely see a pair of twins having Star Dragon and Spyro as their new forms. Tiamat would also be a welcome addition, perhaps as a rival to Cade/Ghidorah? (I did some research on the D&D wiki and that seems like it would work. In fact, it seems almost perfect. Eg; I have more heads than you do! **_**Oh yeah? Well you stick them where the sun doesn't shine!**_**) And yes, if he needs help, he can call in the clan to play videogames and kick ass. And they'd be all out of videogames. :D As for Cade/Ghidorah's size (this goes for you too, chris kidder), I've thought about letting him be able to change that, because being massive all the time can have its limits. I don't know if I can come up with an explanation that makes sense though.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: Yes. We are now in Inception levels of crossovers. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. I'm very tempted to put a 'duh' on the end of that by now.**

* * *

**Chapter 13: Let's raid Area 51!**

Being a Plainswalker had its ups and downs. Although I had been welcomed in Locostral, and had a room there for me to use when I absolutely had to, I still had to return to Alagaësia for my duty to the multiverse the rest of the time. Although because I decided to be a lazy asshole, I crashed at my new place for the night, then hit the Rift in the morning. What, it was my day off! And the bed was _super _soft.

I _might_ have overslept a little. And by that, I mean a couple of hours. Therefore, it was no surprise that I rejoined Saphira around lunch.

"_Where have you been?!"_ She yelled, happily tackling me in a rough hug as I came into land on the clifftop we had claimed, a large sack on my back.

I was completely bewildered by this, but I hesitantly patted her on the back. "_Geez Saphira, while it's good to see you, it's only been what, a day and a bit since I left?"_

As if realising what she was doing, Saphira quickly backed up and sat down, shyly looking away. "_My apologies, it's only that…" _She trailed off, looking back at me in shock. "_Ghidorah, your scales… they're…"_

I looked down at myself and rolled my eyes. I'd evidently forgotten to clean myself up after my being a living target in paintball, because I was covered with neon green, iridescent orange, and glitter-filled pink paint. Joy.

"_Let's just say that I suck at dodging and leave it at that."_ I said, dumping my stuff off of my back and onto the leaf-covered ground. "_I'm going to try and get this paint off me, and then we'll play with the various toys that I've brought back."_

"_Brought back from where?"_ Saphira asked as I spread my wings to take off.

"_That's my secret!" _I said, chuckling as I leapt into the sky.

* * *

When I got back, I found Saphira poking her nose through my stuff.

"_Hey, some of that stuff's delicate!" _I warned as I landed.

Saphira jumped almost a foot in the air, then looked at me sheepishly. "_Sorry."_

_"It's ok. Just be careful, that's all." _I said, beginning to lay out my various items in a way that made some sort of sense.

I'd picked up a _lot _of stuff in Locostral. Some it had a practical use, the portable Arc Reactor for example, which was around the size of a car hubcap and wirelessly provided power to other stuff, kinda like how certain phones could be wirelessly charged. Other items were more for pleasure than use, like the oil barrel's worth of Coca Cola and the absolutely _amazing_ games console that someone back in Locostral had developed. It was called a MultiForm, short for Multiple Platform. The idea behind it was that you could stick any type of game in it, from cartridges to discs, and it would run without a problem. In short, it was an absolute godsend.

"_So," _I said as I started setting up the MultiForm, a speaker and a hologram projector (another gadget that was absolutely awesome and took the place of a screen), "_I was thinking about introducing you to videogames. Want to try some out?"_

"_I would like to." _Saphira nodded, so I stuck the simplest game I had into the Multiform. Pac-Man.

As the game loaded and started to play its theme music, I secured a headset onto Saphira, putting it over where my best guess of her brain was. Like the Multiform, the headset was ahead of its time. A bunch of sensors of it would detect the wearer's brainwaves, and transmit them into signals, enabling them to control their character in-game. Given that most of my clan didn't have thumbs, these were quite commonly used, and I'd snagged two on my way out.

"_Why do I need this?" _Saphira asked, trying to twist and see what I was doing.

"_This will enable you to control your character with your mind." _I explained. "_Just think of the action. Anyway, in this, you're the yellow circle. You want to eat all the dots, but you've got to stay away from the ghosts, got it?"_

_"I think so."_

_"Cool, now good luck!"_

With that, Saphira started the game… and was killed by Blinky in the first five seconds.

There was silence on the clifftop apart from the gentle rustling of leaves, the characteristic 'pew pew pew' noises of Pac-Man dying, and a slow, sarcastic clapping from yours truly.

Saphira respawned, and somehow managed to get killed even faster than last time. I just stood there, my mouths hanging open. I'd managed to get the hang of this when I was a toddler! How could anyone be so bad at this?

The third time that it happened, I couldn't take it anymore. "_How… just how?" _I asked, my mental voice a mix of shock and curiosity.

Saphira glared at me as the screen displayed the game over message. "_It's harder than it looks."_

_"It really isn't." _I said, plucking the headset off Saphira and fitting it over my centre head. "_Watch and learn, noob."_

With that, I restarted the game, and started to demolish the ghosts, waiting until the absolute last minute before I grabbed the power pellets. Pro tip there: only use the power pellets when you have to. As I passed 10,000 points and gained that extra life, I glanced at Saphira. She was glaring at Pac-Man as if he had stolen some of her jelly beans, slapped her in the face, and done a runner.

"_Why does he obey you and not me?!" _She finally burst out as I hit 25,000 points.

"_To be fair to you, I was introduced to this when I was very young, so I have more experience at playing it." _I explained as Inky finally caught me. I paused the game and turned my full attention to my companion. "_Let's try something else. Something we can both play at the same time."_

"_Why do I have a feeling that this will result badly for me?" _Saphira said as I took out Pac-Man, replaced it with one of the Mario Bros games, and secured another headset to my companion.

* * *

Over the next few hours, we played through the various games that I had. We discovered that Saphira was good at puzzle games, alright at platformers, and sucked at racing, but she was an absolute demon at shooters. Even with all my experience, I was severely put to the test when we tried the Halo 2 multiplayer together. The only thing that she didn't seem to understand was the need for ammunition, although she got her head around it fairly quickly.

While we were playing, my thoughts strayed to the headset. It was a cool piece of kit, but something told me that it could be something… more. Suddenly, an image of Cuaroc popped into my heads. He had an Eldunarí connected up to a robotic body through something similar to the headset, so could I rig up something that would let me do the same sort of thing?

* * *

Turns out that I could- without disgorging anything! Take that, Cuaroc! The next day, with an explanation to Saphira that I'd be gone for a couple of hours, I popped back to Locostral. It was weird seeing the city so quiet after the bustle I'd seen yesterday, but I eventually spoke to one of the quartermasters, who'd named herself Spanners, about my idea. She said that what I was asking about already existed. The only things that I needed were a certain program loaded into the Multiform that would relay my commands to whatever I was controlling, and display any data that the machine I was commanding sent back.

Then Spanners gave me a chip with the program on it and a remote control car to practise with, and asked what exactly I was trying to do. I said that I wanted in on the Teirm record raid, so I needed something small that would allow me to get in and out unnoticed, as well as being able to move and read scrolls.

A gleam came into her eyes, and she said that she'd work on it. Apparently, Spanners was one of a few Plainswalkers who, for one reason or another, didn't have an assigned realm to protect. Instead, she worked in Locostral- and not just the city. Though I hadn't really thought about it, Locostral was its own planet which followed Earth's structure and calendar (apparently time was out of whack between realms, as it was February in Alagaësia rather than early December), but looked differently as a result of how plate tectonics worked, whatever that meant. Spanners' job was to look after the fleet of robots that oversaw farming for our food, and resource gathering for whatever needed to be built next.

My curiosity sated and my factoids learnt, I Rifted back to Alagaësia. It was possible to create portals in Locostral, but it was heavily frowned upon, and it made a mess. Instead, we had three specifically built portals for us to use. The first one was for people arriving in the realm, while the second was for people leaving it. Both of them were set into the floor of the city and were connected directly to the Rift, but the third was different. It was in the exact centre of the city, stood upright, and had a console that would scan a Plainswalker's key and provide a direct link to the realm that it went to. This portal was strictly for getting to realms where Shadows were attacking, so we weren't allowed to use it otherwise.

Anyway, I got back to Alagaësia, kicked Saphira off of Call of Duty, and inserted the chip that would allow me to command the RC car. Then I slapped on a headset, put the car on the floor and waited for the program to load.

"_What is the purpose of this game?" _Saphira asked.

"_This one isn't a game." _I replied, looking over at my companion with a smirk. "_If it works, and if I get the hang of it, then this will enable me to help out with the record raid."_

"_Really?" _the blue dragoness asked. "_Does it work the same way scrying does, allowing you to see things from afar?"_

"_Nope!"_ I said cheerfully, the lights on the RC car turning on.

"_Then how?"_

I just grinned and drove the car into one of Saphira's forelegs. It was actually easier to drive than I'd expected. Saphira jumped back with a surprised growl and glared at the car. My grins became full on smiles as I nudged the car forward a little, then stopped it, making Saphira jump back again. Obviously, she'd never seen something like the car before, but I hadn't expected for her to react like this!

"_Ghidorah?" _the blue dragoness asked, her eyes wide and her mental voice quavering. "_I don't think that this small thing likes me."_

I ignored her and made the car go in for the kill. Saphira turned and ran, the small metal and plastic vehicle bumping along behind her. Smiling, I laid on the ground, grabbed my barrel of Coke and had an enjoyable day of chasing my companion with the toy. Of course, I was in for it when she realised that I was controlling the car, but at least she didn't destroy it. In fact, she even had a go at driving it while I went off to get something for lunch, even though she jumped every time it moved.

Islingr also had a go while Saphira was taking a nap. Of course, I had to let her watch the car through my eyes as it possessed no cameras of its own, but she got the hang of driving fairly quickly and even managed to start drifting the thing, which I found fairly impressive for someone who'd never even heard of a car before I came along.

* * *

It was the day of my third Locostral Gathering when Spanners found me again. I was in one of the city's parks with my clan, soaking in the sun as Paddles and Jacob were having an argument. I didn't get the dynamic between them. On moment they were trying to rip each other's throat out, the next they were pranking the rest of us and cackling like witches. I was still ****ed about the time when they'd put chili peppers in my milkshake.

Anyhow, Spanners sat down beside me, plonking a large bag on the ground beside her. She looked like a slightly aged version of Lara Croft, although she wore a green mechanic's jumpsuit and aviator sunglasses instead of gear appropriate for raiding tombs.

"I've finished the little project that you wanted." She said briskly, opening the bag and pulling out something.

"_Not even a hello? I'm hurt." _I joked, turning to see what Spanners had come up with.

The robot was a black, six legged spider-like machine with a 360 degree camera mounted on its back, about the size of a dinner plate. At what I assumed the front to be, there were two manipulator arms ending in delicate pincers, while the rear held a large box on it.

"I designed this thing so that you could drop it in by air." Spanners said, completely ignoring my comment. "There's a parachute in the box on the end which will automatically deploy when it's needed. When the bot lands, it will retract back into the box so that you can use it again if you need to. It can also climb up walls and on ceilings, and the manipulator arms are designed for controlled movements, so you won't break anything you're holding with them unless you try to."

"_Awesome!"_ I exclaimed. "_I'll have to practice with it a bit, but I think I'll get the hang of it."_

"That's not all I was going to say, so shut up and listen." Spanners replied, slapping away my claws from the robot. "The battery will last about an hour if you're using most of the functions at once, although it can probably can go up to two if you're conservative with your usage of the unit. I've also had to stick a transmitter in it since you're going to be using it at long range. There's another transmitter in this bag that you'll need to sync with the MultiForm in order to complete the connection. And finally, the robot itself has a self-destruct mechanism, just in case something unexpected happens."

"_Thanks, Spanners." _I smiled. "_You're the best quartermaster I know."_

"I'm the only quartermaster you know." Spanners said with a rare smile, putting the robot back in the bag and handed the bundle to me. "If you have any other requests for tech, I'll try them out. They make my life interesting."

"_I'll remember that." _I said as Spanners walked off.

* * *

Another week or two passed before we were _finally _ready to do the raid.

"_We leave tonight or tomorrow." _Eragon contacted Saphira and I one day as we were playing Black Ops.

"_Finally!" _I cried. I was sick of Teirm, even though playing videogames and Eragon's visits had taken the edge off of my boredom. He'd been completely freaked out by my tech at first, but a few cups of Mariokart had cured that.

Saphira had a much more composed response. "_This is unexpected. Will you be safe during this venture?"_

"_I don't know." _Eragon replied. "_We may end up fleeing Teirm with soldiers on our heels."_

"_If that happens, then I'll bring the thunder." _I said. "_Besides, you and Dumbledore can use magic, and you're getting good with that sword, so I reckon that you'll just be fine."_

There was a small silence before Eragon said "_I don't want to leave Teirm. The time I've spent here has been almost normal. What I'd give to stay in one place and stop uprooting myself. To stay here and be like everyone else would be wonderful."_

"_Pfft." _I said. "_Chasing down the Ra'zac was your idea. Now you're backing out?"_

"_Besides," _Saphira said firmly, "_if you were like everyone else, then I wouldn't have chosen you as my Rider, Little One. Would you really cast my judgement aside?"_

I could sense Eragon getting angry as he responded "_I will _never _stop hunting the Ra'zac until they're pincushions for my arrows, and I love you to the ends of the world Saphira, but I just…"_

"_I get that you want to live a normal life," _I consoled him,_ "but you have to face reality. Embrace what you have, don't lust after that which you cannot possess." _There was a quick pause before I realised "_Fuck__, I'm going native with all this fancy talking!"_

Saphira and Eragon chuckled as the young Rider dropped out of our conversation and into a light sleep.

* * *

Night slowly fell. I rose with the moon, my robot clutched in the claws of my feet. I was about a kilometre high, hovering over the castle that held the records. I guessed that this would be a suitable height both conceal me from prying eyes, and to drop the robot from. There wasn't any wind, so it should stay on course, but I was still hesitant. Would the parachute open properly? Could I get back to the clifftop in time to take control of the robot. I guess that there was only one way to test that.

I let the robot drop, then streaked towards the rock that Saphira and I had made a temporary camp out of for the last couple of weeks. The flight only took a few minutes, but when I got to my destination, the robot was already on the ground, the parachute retracted. Cursing, I slammed a headset on my centre noggin and took command of the small unit as Saphira silently watched. I'd explained to her what I was planning, so she understood that I needed to not be distracted.

By now, I'd had enough practice with the robot to know how to work it without breaking anything. Spinning the camera around, I quickly looked around the area. The bot seemed to be on top of a sloped roof that looked down over a courtyard. And hurrying across said courtyard were Eragon, Brom, and an older man who I could only assume was Jeod.

Not believing my luck, I switched the camera onto thermal imaging, started tracking the trio through the castle, and scuttled after them. Yes, the bot had thermal imaging. Spanners had thought of everything.

Eventually, the three orange blobs stopped next to a room with a barred window, luckily for me. The bot ran down the wall, used a manipulator arm to jerk the window open, slipped sideways through the bars, and scuttled inside. Just as the robot reached the centre of the floor, the door opened, the light of a flaming torch illuminating the dark space.

"The shipping records should be-" Jeod began before spotting my unit and exclaiming "What the!"

Reaching out with my mind, I contacted the trio (breaking through barriers around Brom and Jeod's minds in the process) saying "_I thought that you guys could use some help." _while making the robot give a salute.

"Ghidorah?" Brom whispered in shock.

"_Yup."_ I replied. "_We'll talk about robots later; we have a limited amount of time before we're discovered. Now, where are the records?"_

Brom had to shake Jeod before he returned to his previous state.

"Err, the records, yes." Jeod nodded, moving through the racks of scrolls that the room held to the ones that we needed. "These are the shipping records for the past five years. You can tell the date by the wax seals on the corner."

"So what do we do now?" Eragon asked, his eyes flicking from the scrolls to my robot and back.

"Start at the top and work down." Brom ordered, forcing everyone back on task.

"Some scrolls only deal with taxes." Jeod explained. "We can ignore those. Look for anything that mentions Seithr oil."

I hissed, the memory of my melting head coming back in full force. The robot juddered slightly as a result, but otherwise remained still as Brom scooped up a load of scrolls and dumped them on the floor. My unit snatched one and began unrolling it, the camera skimming through the text. I didn't see anything about the bleach of death, so I tossed the thing aside and started on the next scroll.

Over time, I did get a few hits of the Bleach of Death, and relayed them to the others, but it was still slow going. I apparently missed Solembum's brief visit, but Eragon did announce that the soldiers were coming. Of course, I could have kept an eye on the imperial forces myself, but why bother if someone else was going to do it for me?

Nonetheless, we blazed through the last few scrolls, threw them back on the shelves and rushed out, my robot catching a lift on Eragon's back. The three humans then raced out of the room and slammed the door shut. The metallic tramp of armored boots echoed down the corridor as Brom cursed, put a hand on the door and locked it.

"Hey, get away from that door!" A soldier yelled as three of them marched into view.

Brom stepped back, his expression a mask.

"Why are you three trying to access to the records?" the tallest guy demanded.

Eragon subtly tightened his grip on his bow as did my robot on the back of his shirt.

"I'm afraid we lost our way." Jeod explained unconvincingly.

The bot's camera could see the sweat dribbling down the back of his neck as one of the guards checked the door. "It's locked, sir."

The leader scratched his chin and said "Ar'right, then. I don't know what you were up to, but as long as the door's locked, I guess you're free to go. Come on."

With that, the soldiers formed up around the trio and marched them out of the castle. As the main gates banged shut behind them, Eragon leaped into the air and pumped a fist, almost dislodging the robot from its position on his back.

"Walk back to the house normally." Brom whisper-yelled. "You can celebrate there."

* * *

Once in the study of said house, Eragon whooped "We did it!"

"But now we have to see if it was worth the trouble." Brom said as Jeod fetched a map of Alagaësia off of a shelf and spread it out on the desk.

I piloted the robot onto one of the map's corners, saying "_It will be worth it" _as I analyzed the map through the holo-projector and committed it to memory. A sudden bleeping went off and the robot went limp, the camera feed shutting off. _"Shit, battery's dead." _I announced, beginning to draw away from the minds of the three men. "_I'll answer questions when we meet up tomorrow, because I'm dead tired. If someone could bring the robot with them, I'd appreciate it." _I fended off a yawn before saying "_Goodnight" _and signing off.

"_This means that__ Eragon's safe, correct?" _Saphira asked as I took of the headset and deactivated the holo-projector.

"_He's fine." _I said, curling up in the grass. "_He, Brom and Jeod__ are going through the results now, but we should be off tomorrow. Now lemme sleep."_

"_As you wish." _Saphira said, curling up beside me.

Finally giving into exhaustion, I closed my three sets of eyes. The last things I saw were a dark sky filled by a vibrant nebula of stars, and an equally beautiful sapphire dragon sleeping below them. Then I mentally checked myself. Saphira was a friend- a close one, yes, but just a friend. For now at least.


	14. Chapter 14: Let's hunt some Orc!

**Author's note: It's a week til Christmas, woot woot! Also, I'm happy to share that the side story is up! Look for 'Searching for Hidden Gems' under the Inheritance Cycle/ HTTYD crossover section. That will take priority over this for a while in the new year. Also, t****hanks Blaze1992 for the idea of settings for Cade/Ghidorah's powers for the size issue. I've changed it a little so there's the normal 'Ghidorah/dragon powers' (Lightning, Dragon magic, Eldunar****í, etc****) and 'Rift powers' (Plainswalking, Growing, Shrinking, etc) as the settings instead of a positive/negative, but still, thanks! That will be explained in SFHG. Also, I've just realized that I've been spelling the Eggbreaker's name wrong. I've been spelling it as Galbatrobix, when it's actually Galbatorix. And I'm fourteen chapters in. Guess I'll have to go back and edit those. *sigh* Anyway, as usual, reviews are welcome, and may your swords stay sharp, and your skies stay clear!**

**In response to reviews/PMs:**

**Blaze 1992: Yeah, I'm trying to ease into the romancey sort of stuff. As for videogames you think they should play, send me some ideas. The RC car was just a start, to help Cade/Ghidorah get used to the control system. If he had to fly a drone or something, he'd likely crash it in the first five minutes. Or Saphira would eat it. As for the robot, the brief was for something that could manipulate scrolls, not a death machine. Those will be coming later. Oh, crap I've spoiled the plot! Oh well. Also, don't feel that you **_**have**_** to submit an OC. I'm just saying that people can send some in if they want. Perhaps I'll use them, perhaps I won't. It depends if I can fit them into the storyline. I don't really want another Plaiswalker running around in Alagaësia though.**

**eragon95159: You are very focused on having Vroengard's radiation cleaned up, aren't you? Okay, so I did some research about this, and I understand that Boron stops neutrons of the radioactive ions. Nukes unleash mainly gamma radiation with the initial blast, although gamma and beta radiation is found in the fallout. Gamma radiation doesn't interact with particles, instead acting as a wave. I think. I'm doing Physics A-Level, but I haven't got to radiation yet, so I'm acting on what I remember from my GCSE. Anyway, the boron would only stop the beta radiation, but it wouldn't absorb it. Boron does work well as a radiation **_**blocker**_**, but it doesn't actually clean up any of the radiation, it just stops it from getting around. Okay, science over. As for Brom dying, it will happen. Sorry for any people who want stuff other than that to happen.**

**UNHOLY LIGHT: Thanks! I'll be sure to keep updating until the fic is finished (at the same point **_**Eragon **_**does, after the battle of Farthen D****û****r). I plan to do sequels, but it may be a while until I get round to them.**

**JustAnotherWildDragon: Thanks! It's good to know that people are liking the **** my brain comes up with. :D**

**OechsnerC: Thanks!**

**Wizzer96: Thanks for the size change suggestion, even though I decided not to go with it in the end. Sorry. I've never played MTG, and I wanted the ability to be something Cade/Ghidorah could trigger on his own without outside aid. As for your guess, stop reading my mind! Okay, there won't Iron Man suits, but I plan to include certain pieces of technology as Eldunar****í**** controlled troops. See if you can guess what I'm intending!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 14: Let's hunt some Orc!**

I'd packed everything up and was ready to go by the time Eragon and Brom got out of Teirm. As the duo left the city, I'd slung my pack onto my back, done up the straps, pressed play on a boom box that I'd replaced my phone with, and leapt into the sky alongside Saphira, rock music blaring.

"_So." _I asked nonchalantly over a link between me and my three companions. "_Where are we headed?"_

"_Dras-Leona." _Brom replied. "_But before I reveal anything else, you will explain what the armoured beast I'm carrying is, and where you found both it and the rest of your equipment that Eragon has told me about."_

I chuckled. Armoured beasts indeed. "_First off, robots aren't alive themselves. The best way that I can describe it so that you can all understand is that they are machines that are controlled by some kind of mind."_

"_So why can't Brom or I sense this one's mind?" _Eragon asked.

"_Because I'm the one who's been in command." _I said.

"_But how?" _Brom inquired. "_There is nothing in this… construct that can be controlled."_

"_Eragon, you may recall the headset that I have." _I began to explain.

"_Yes."_

"_And what did I say that it did?"_

"_That it would convert thoughts into signals that… oh."_

"_What?" _Brom demanded.

"_That it would convert thoughts into signals that machines could understand." _I supplied. "_When that robot's battery is full, I can send orders to it that it will enact. Think of a robot like a servant that requires power instead of food and drink to survive. It has no will of its own, but will take orders from a living being that can think for itself, or its software or AI."_

"_What are software and AI?" _Saphira asked from beside me as we reached the level of the clouds.

I mentally groaned. "_Think of software as a set of instructions that will tell the robot, or any computer really, what to do. AI, or Artificial Intelligence is a step up from that, as the software is sentient and can actually think for itself, just like the three of you and I can."_

"_Machines that can think?" _Brom snorted in disbelief. "_I'll only believe that when I see it. Besides that, you still haven't said where you found it or your other new posessions."_

I just gave him an amused hum in acknowledgement. "_Where I'm getting my stuff from is for me to know, and for you to not find out. It's private."_

"_We'll see about that." _Brom said.

The defiance in his tone made me laugh. He had no idea what he was getting himself into if he really wanted to know.

* * *

About an hour later, when Teirm was out of sight from the ground, Saphira spiralled down to the ground, picked up Eragon and re-joined me.

"_Sup." _I greeted Eragon. "_Nice to see you in the sky again."_

"_It's nice to be up here." _he replied with a grin.

I nodded as I hit a small thermal, the warm current of air pushing up on my wings. Even though I'd been a dragon for a couple of months now, I still loved the freedom that flying gave me. I loved the sensation of soaring though the sky, the feeling of the varying air currents pressing against my wings, the wind blowing through my toes.

For no reason other than pure pleasure, I rolled over and around Saphira and Eragon with a loud whoop and three grins.

"_You seem happier than you have been in a long time." _Saphira commented as I settled back into a stable flight path. "_Is there any particular reason why?"_

I would have shrugged if I wasn't using my shoulders to help me not plummet to the ground. "_Not really. Maybe it's just being on the move again. Maybe it's just the thrill of flying. Who knows?"_

Saphira seemed like she had wanted me to say something else, but accepted my statement as we rode the winds side by side.

* * *

We flew until what I judged to be lunchtime, when we descended back down to the ground to meet up with Brom. A quick meal later for the two humans, and we were back in the sky again.

Brom and Eragon talked about the power struggle between Galbatorix and the Varden over the new generation of Riders. Saphira began to relay the conversation to me, but I stopped her by saying that I knew about the issue already.

"_You have told us that you are not under the command of the Eggbreaker, so do you serve the Varden?"_ the blue dragoness asked.

"_Not really," _I answered, "_although my bosses' interests align with theirs. My job though, as I've said before, is to protect you and Eragon. And that includes protecting you _from_ the Varden if you decide to go to them. If I have to, I will kidnap you two."_

"_That does not fill me with confidence of how we would be treated by them."_

"_Oh, make no mistake, they'll love you guys." _I said. _"I'm just saying that they will try to politically back the pair of you into a corner."_

"_And what do you know of politics?"_

I chuckled and sent Saphira a memory of the 'I am the Senate' scene from Star Wars.

"_So very little then." _She decided.

I rolled my eyes. "_Okay, that was just me messing with you. From what I understand, politics is a lot like a verbal game of chess. It's just strategy, which is what I'm good at, so don't worry too much over it."_

"_Very well."_

A contented silence fell between us as we flew on, apart from my boom box deciding to play _Viva La Vida_, a song that I'd never heard before. I'd transferred all of my music from my phone to the new device, but apparently someone had decided to add on some of their preferred soundtracks. If it had been Jacob, I genuinely feared for my sanity, given that his favourite song was the earrape version of _Mine Diamonds_. Yeah, for real. I needed new friends.

In the middle of my paranoid thoughts, Islingr contacted me. "_Would you like to learn more of our kind's history?"_

"_Err… sure." _I decided.

"_As you know, we dragons are one of __Alagaësia's three native races, the others being the Dwarves and the Grey Folk. Since the dawn of our history, there has always been an Alpha of us- a dragon or dragoness who leads our race in times of great tragedy or hardship."_

"_Like now..." _I realised.

"_Indeed Fledgling, although you should not worry yourself over such things. As of this moment there are only three bodily dragons in Alagaësia-"_

"_Actually, there are at least six of us." _I interrupted. "_Me, Saphira, Shruikan, Glaedr- partner of Oromis, and the two eggs in Galbatrobix's possession."_

"_How do you know of the Mourning Sage and his companion?" _Islingr demanded. "_Apart from the Eldunarí of my brethren in the Vault of Souls, they are one of our best kept secrets!"_

So the spell on the Vault had erased Islingr's memories of the eggs there, but not mine. Huh. Perhaps it was because I knew the information before I even came to Alagaësia. Perhaps it was because I was a Plainswalker. At least my mind wasn't being tampered with.

"_You'll often find that I know stuff that I shouldn't." _I sighed, cursing my big mouth._ "If I told you how I know this stuff, you wouldn't believe me, let alone understand what I'm talking about."_

"_And why wouldn't I?" _my Ebrithil asked.

"_Ever heard of Multiverse Theory? You might call it something different, but the concept should be the same; many universes existing, but being impossible to reach?"_

"_I have not."_

"_And that's why."_

I was keeping the Plainswalkery stuff secret because I was worried that Galbatorix, or someone that worked for him would eventually get hold of the information. The Plainswalking itself wasn't too much of an issue, unless Galbatorix caught either me or Angela, mentally broke us, and forced us to be his slaves, but that wasn't likely. I was strong in the mental and physical departments, and given that the Angela in the books would be able to reduce the Twins to gibbering idiots, I presumed that she'd be okay. What was a problem though, was our knowledge of the future, which we could _not _allow to fall into enemy hands. If Galbatrobix knew that, then I had no idea what we could do apart from nuking Urû'baen. Still, the longer I kept the information from Islingr, the more suspicious she'd become.

Sighing, I ignored my better judgement and said "_I'll tell, and show you, how I know, next time I have to leave Eragon, Saphira and Brom, which will be in three days."_

"_Is there any reason for that particular date?" _Islingr asked.

"_I'll explain then." _I promised. "_What was it that you were saying about an Alpha, though?"_

"_Ah, my apologies. Now the Alpha…"_

* * *

I'd got a pretty good education in draconic history by the time we stopped for Brom and Eragon to have dinner. There had only been five of them in time that the dragons had existed for: Bid'Duam, the partner of the first Eragon during the formation of the Riders, Belgabad, the largest dragon at the time of the Fall, Brisdomia, the first Alpha and the only female one, who had exceptional control of fire, Vanilor, who was also known as the King of all Dragons, and Eridor, his successor.

Throughout history, they had guided the Dragon race at crucial times, such as Du Fyrn Skulblaka and the Fall. The Alpha served not as a King or Queen, but purely as a warrior who commanded and fought for the dragon race. There were Kings and Queens of dragons, such as Vanilor and Eridor, but they would be underneath the Alpha if one rose. The rest of the time, they would be responsible for the usual stuff that leaders took care of, namely looking after their people and keeping the peace between them and the other races in Alagaësia.

Apparently, there was no set way of becoming the Alpha, although there were trials that dragons had to undergo to become a King or Queen. These included endurance flights, single combat until one of the combatants yielded or was knocked unconscious, control of the fire that dragons could utilize, and caring for a nest of hatchlings for a month.

"_Why the last one?" _I yawned, half-asleep.

"_It was a test to see how well an applicant for the crown could look after their subjects." _Islingr explained. "_It also showed us how patient the dragon was, and their intelligence. Hatchlings often get into trouble, and it would be up to the dragon caring for them to keep them out of it, which was an all-consuming task."_

"_I can imagine." _I replied, just thinking of all the crap I'd got into before I'd died, and how I'd probably given my parents a few dozen heart attacks.

Suddenly, Saphira leapt to her feet and began tearing into the forest. Then she turned back to Brom, grabbed him, and wrapped him up in her wings as she raised her tail and started scanning the perimeter of our camp.

"What's going on?!" Brom snapped, his voice muffled.

I hurriedly scanned through my memory of the first book as I got to all fours and began watching and sniffing for anything out of the ordinary. I vaguely remembered something about an Urgal attack and Eragon doing something stupid, but not much apart from that. Still, I should be able to take them on fairly easily.

There was a familiar smell and a rustle from the undergrowth. Saphira swung her tail at the noise, but I blocked it with one of my own at the last moment as Eragon burst into the camp. The young Rider yelped as our two tails slammed into each other, tried to backpedal, then slipped and fell on his butt.

"_Accidentally killing your own Rider would definitely be an embarrassing way to go." _I said humorlessly, lowering my long, mace-ended tail and checking it for any damage. It didn't seem to be hurt, but it seemed to be bruised, with the scales in the area that had been hit gaining a slightly silver tint. Strange.

"_Oops." _Saphira said.

"Oops?" Eragon growled. "You could have killed me!"

"_And yourself in the process." _I added on.

Eragon glared at me and asked. "Where's Brom?"

"I'm right here." Brom grumbled from behind Saphira's wings. "Tell your crazy dragon to release me; she won't listen to me."

"Let him go!" Eragon yelled, clearly exasperated. "Didn't you tell them?"

"_No." _Saphira said sheepishly. "_You just said to keep Brom safe."_

As she lifted her wings and freed Brom, I detected a faint stench coming from the north. It was a familiar scent of a five-month-old cheese sandwich mixed with chili peppers. Urgals.

"Well what's going on?" Brom said.

Casting my senses in the direction that the smell was coming from, I cut off Eragon's explanation of the Urgal footprint with a report of "_Urgals are heading towards us from the north. I count around twenty semi-shielded minds about two to three miles out, and they're coming in our general direction. I'm not sure about their pace, but it would be best to bug outta here now."_

"Saddle the horses. We're leaving." Brom ordered, his expression serious.

Brom doused the fire with dirt, which stopped steam from billowing from the burning branches.

When Eragon didn't move, Brom turned back to him and asked "What's wrong with your arm?"

"My wrist is broken."

Brom cussed like a sailor and saddled Cadoc for him before turning to Saphira and me. "It's almost dark. You two may as well fly right overhead us. If the Urgals do catch us, they'll think twice about attacking when they see two dragons nearby."

"_I could stay and deal with them." _I offered.

"No." Brom ordered. "They might miss this place entirely and still find us. Like I said, fly above us, and if you have a shot, take it. Just be careful not to hit me or Eragon."

"_Yessir." _I grinned before rising into the cold, twilight sky.

* * *

There was a bit of a problem to getting a clear shot, namely the decreasing levels of sunlight making it hard for me to even see the trees below me, let alone the ground or anything on it. I had to navigate by my hearing, which was around the same level as it had been before I respawned, and smell, which was much more accurate, although I wasn't about to open fire unless I was sure I could hit a target, otherwise I'd just be wasting my bolts.

Unfortunately, Saphira and Eragon, who'd decided that it would be safer to fly with his partner, took matters into their own hands. Together, the two swooped down onto the trail the Urgals were following and being the idiots hat they were, landed directly in front of them. Cursing at their stupidity, I contacted Brom of the development and wheeled back towards where the pair had set down.

I was too late to prevent Eragon's stupidity though. I clearly heard him yell "Jierda", which meant break, or hit depending on how it was used. The magic was dramatic, but ineffective, sending beams of light into the Urgals, which flung them into the air. Nine of them smashed into trees while each of my heads snatched one of the monsters from the sky as I came in to land.

The last thing Eragon heard before he blacked out was my evaluation of "_You're a fucking dumbass" _as I touched down in front of Saphira, my right foot squashing the one still-conscious Urgal flatter than a pancake.

Eragon fainted, and flopped off of Saphira like a ragdoll from the drain in his energy. I sighed, and set about making sure that none of the other Urgals would wake up. Ever.

"_What's happened to Eragon?" _Saphira demanded a little frantically.

"_He's overexerted himself, because he's got the memory of a goldfish." _I explained, my heads locked in silent snarls as I slammed a tail into a prone Urgal, making blood spurt. "_I told him to think crap through before he did it, and Brom told him that he could kill himself if he did something beyond his capability! Does he ever actually listen?!"_

"_How do I fix him?!" _Saphira demanded, crouching protectively over the still form of Eragon.

"_Give him time to sleep and take in a meal, and he'll be okay." _I grumbled, snapping up another of the monsters. "_Take him to Brom and find a safe place to set up camp. I'll finish up here, and then I'll deal with the other eight Urgals that weren't with this group. I'll join you when I get them all."_

"_Thank you, and good hunting."_ Saphira said as she nosed Eragon back on to her back and spread her wings.

"_If Eragon wakes up before I get back," _I said as she took off, "_tell him that he's a dumbass!"_

I didn't get a response as the sound of Saphira's wingbeats steadily got further and further away, carrying away one idiot, and his draconic companion as I rose into the night and began the long, tiresome process of eliminating loose ends.


	15. Chapter 15- Newbies

**Author's note: Woah! Two OC submissions! You guys rock! (Though if anyone submits another, they won't be included for a while, as adding three OCs at once was a bit of a handful.) I asked a while back if you wanted a Christmas special chapter. I can't remember what the response was, but I'm doing it anyway (or at least, I tried to)! I'm going to focus on Searching for Hidden Gems after I put this out, so expect a gap between now and the next chapter. Enjoy, and MERRY CHRISTMAS!**

**Note 2: I forgot to edit this first time round, so there was a butt-load of mistakes in here. Sorry about that.**

**Note 3: Okay, this was a bit of a shitshow. Originally, Cade told Islingr everything. Now, I changed that so that he tells her about everything _except _having future knowledge.**

**In response to reviews/PMs:**

**Wizzer96: Thanks for the OC submission! I've copied it up to my computer and saved it in the folder where I keep my fics. *Googles who ****Deathwing is and spews drink all over the floor because of awesomeness.* Okay, I looked up him on a dragon size chart****. I'm gonna go by the logic that he's the smaller version, so about Smaug's size, like Cade/Ghidorah and Gem most of the time, but like Cade/Ghidorah, he can grow to full size, which I'm guessing is about 170m tall at the top of his head by drawing in power from the Rift. I've chosen the Skyrim option that you presented, so I guess that wiki will become my friend soon enough. As**** for the robots I'm going to use, keep guessing. Hint: Something a little more knightly.  
****RegalEagIe: Blimey, you were reading from before the re-write?! Thanks for sticking with me! Like Wizzer****, thanks for the OC submission! I've copied and saved it. Sorry, but no shapeshifting. The Thunderbird (loved him in **_**Fantastic Beasts**_**) is a badass powerhouse that can create storms. You've got to have a drawback in that somewhere, like a lack of hands in this case. (Cade/Ghidorah **_**can**_** generate storms too, since King G could create a massive hurricane/storm system around him in King of the Monsters. I can already see a rivalry having stuff like "**_**Stop stealing my thunder!") **_**I'm going to say that he can talk out loud too.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: I get where you're coming from.  
****Chris: I'm generally going to follow the storyline of **_**Eragon**_**, so they'll do the same stuff. Meeting the Varden will happen when it happens.  
****Blaze1992: Thanks for the game suggestions. Other OCs **_**will**_** be in the Locostral side of the fic, but only one other will be in ****Alagaësia too, at least until a shadow attacks. Agh, now I've given away plot!  
****OechsnerC: Thanks!  
****VtrCst: Thanks, and great idea, but the saving Arya early thing won't happen. If you check the map in the front of the books, then it's a longer distance from Teirm to Gil'ead than to Dras-Leona, and an absolutely **_**enormous**_** distance from Gil'ead to the Varden. It wouldn't physically be possible for Cade/Ghidorah to do all that in a feasible time-frame and get back to Eragon, Saphira and Brom, even though he can fly.  
****GenericUsername6: Trial By Lightning will end where Eragon does, and no, there isn't any harm in checking. Better make sure of something rather than go on a guess.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Newbies**

Thirteen hours. That's how long it took for me to track down the eight remaining Urgals and deal with them. They had split up into four pairs and were combing through the forest in an attempt to find Saphira, Brom and Eragon. Unfortunately for them, a certain three-headed dragon was determined to make it a dark and stormy night.

I was mainly tracking the Urgals through smell, although once I was close enough to detect their minds, I switched to that to get a good lock on wherever they were. A blinding flash and a boom of thunder later, and they were been reduced to ash, with piles of smoking armour and weapons clattering to the floor around them. That done, I moved on to my next target.

* * *

The sun had crept back into the sky by the time I eventually got back to where Brom had set up camp. It was a clearing that was barely big enough for me, surrounded by pine trees. Saphira laid to one side, Eragon propped up against her side and covered in blankets, a small glob of drool dribbling out of the side of his mouth. She kept on checking over him to make sure that he was okay in the same way that my Mom checked on me when I was ill and confined to my bed, which was sweet to watch.

Brom was poking at a smouldering campfire with a stick as I landed with a _boom_.

"Well?" he glared. He looked pissed.

"_Eight shots, eight kills." _I yawned, rubbing my three sets of bleary eyes.

"Good."

"_What, no 'well done', or 'thanks for staying up all night'?" _I grumbled bitterly. "_I know I haven't done much that's noteworthy yet, but a little gratitude can go a long way."_

"I said 'good'. That's high praise, coming from me."

I harrumphed from all three heads and dumped my bag of stuff on the ground. "_I'm assuming we're going to stay here until Eragon re-joins the land of the living."_

"That's correct."

I didn't bother replying. Instead, I laid down, propped my heads on my bag like it was a pillow, and tried to get some rest.

* * *

Nothing notable really happened until the day that I promised to explain being a Plainswalker to Islingr.

I woke late- about midway through the morning. Cursing, I rummaged through my bag until I found the backpack containing Islingr's Eldunarí, and hooked it on one of my spikes while I grabbed my key in my left mouth. By now, my companions were used to me going off on my own, so no questions were asked as I soared off into the sky, which was good. I was late for the weekly Gathering.

I landed about a mile away, transferred my key to one of my hands and began to tell Islingr everything. I started out by explaining multiverse theory, then revealing that I was originally human and that I'd died, sharing a few memories to back myself up. Then I went on to explain how Angela had shown me how to use my key and what Locostral was, as well as what Shadows were. However, I didn't share the bombshell about future knowledge. That was information that I would keep to myself for as long as possible. I'd try to guide stuff the way they'd happened in the books, as that was the only way of defeating Galbatorix that I knew would work. And that meant absolute secrecy.

My Ebrithil remained in a shocked silence as I talked, turning my key over in my hands. Finally, she said "_You have a much greater responsibility than I realised, and you have already gone through so much. I shall do whatever I can to assist you."_

"_Weren't you doing that anyway?" _I asked a little cheekily.

"_Maybe a little." _Islingr admitted.

I laughed and opened a portal. The familiar orange vortex spun into being, and I took a firm hold of my key and backpack. "_Hold onto your butt."_

With my quota of occasional references filled, I launched myself into the Rift.

* * *

When I popped out of the arrival portal, I saw that the streets of the city were empty. Landing on the sidewalk, I cast my eyes around. Yup, everyone was at the Gathering already. Cursing getting up late, I was about to take off again when I heard the sound of Islingr mentally dry-heaving.

"_Okay, really?" _I asked, exasperated. "_You don't even have the organ that does that anymore!"_

"_I do in my mind." _Islingr complained. "_You think that picturing your mindscape can only be used in mental battles? I like to still have my body, thank you."_

I just sighed. "_I get your point, but still. Just hearing that makes me want to follow suit, and I can say from experience, that feels really weird with three heads. Oh, and if you want to see stuff through my eyes, go ahead."_

"_Apologies fledgling, and thank you."_

I rolled my eyes purely to annoy Islingr and took flight. It didn't take long to get to the Stadium, but when I soared over it, I could see everyone was filing out, which started to make the sky very busy.

Suppressing a growl, I contacted Gem. "_Morning boss."_

"_Cade, where the fuck are you?!" _was her response. "_And don't call me boss!"_

"_Geez Gem, don't bite my heads off. They're a bitch to regrow." _I said. "_I overslept and rifted through late, but I'm over the Stadium now. There's way too many people leaving at once for me to get down to you right now, so I'll meet you and the guys at Bluepeak. Oh, and you remember I told you about Islingr, right?"_

"_She's your mentor, correct?"_

"_Yup. I decided to tell her about our weirdness, and I brought her through today. Hey Ebrithil, wanna say hi?" _I said, turning towards the blue-topped mountain.

"_It is an honour to meet you." _Islingr said politely.

"_Err, likewise." _Gem said, not sure how to address her. "_I'm Gem, and I'm Cade's Clan leader. Do I need to call you what he said or…"_

"_No." _Islingr replied. "_Ghidorah, or Cade as you call him, is the student, you are not. Call me by my name."_

"_Cool. And Cade, you didn't even tell anyone your birth name? Geez, what's wrong with you?"_

"_Give me a break!" _I complained. "_I chose Ghidorah as a new name because I thought that I wasn't gonna be able to get home and it fitted with my new body! I did say that it wasn't my birth name, and nobody asked what I was called before that! Besides, I had bigger problems! Learning to fly, learning to hunt, keeping Thing 1 and Thing 2 safe, dealing with stick-up-my-ass-Gandalf! My birth name was a trivial thing in all that, so don't blame me for overlooking it!"_

At the end of my rant, both dragonesses were laughing at me.

"_Now I see why Jacob enjoys winding people up." _Gem chuckled. "_I should do this more often."_

"_Please, for the love of Master Chief, don't." _I grumbled, trying not to obey the urge to zap my friend and teacher into dust.

Gem just laughed harder. "_Fine. We'll see you back at Bluepeak then, but we won't be staying long. We've got three newbies with us too, so remember to be nice. Jacob and Paddles are already failing."_

"_Three?!" _I gasped. "_In _one _go?"_

"_Not really. They all died at different points, it's just chance that they got here at the same time. And you have competition."_

"_What's that supposed to mean?"_

I could feel Gem smirk. "_Let's just say that you're not the only one who can use lightning any more. And you've lost the extra head competition."_

I wasn't sure how I felt about that. Jealous, maybe? "_Why aren't we staying long? Won't we have to decorate their rooms or something?"_

"_We're doing that n__ext week." _Gem said. "_Have you been keeping track of the calendar?"_

"_Not particularly." _I replied.

"_Well, Merry Christmas, dragon who lives under a rock."_

My jaws dropped. "_Seriously? It's that time of year already?"_

"_Yup."_

"_Shit! I didn't get you guys anything!" _I realised as I swooped over Bluepeak, looking for the skylight that was over my room.

"_It's okay." _Gem said. "_I forgot to tell you, but because we can pretty much get anything we want when we want, we don't really give gifts. Instead, we prefer to do something special as a clan."_

"_And that would be?" _I asked, finally locating the right window.

"_Ever gone skiing?" _Gem said as the skylight soundlessly slid to the side and let me drop into my room.

"_Nope. I've been surfing though, and I was fairly decent at it." _I replied as the skylight closed up again.

"_Maybe a snowboard for you then." _Gem mused. "_Hmm. Anyway, we're piling into the lift. Where are you now?"_

"_My room." _I said.

"_Okay. We're coming up in two loads, so get yourself a snack or something."_

"_Will do." _I replied, before doing the telepathic equivalent of hanging up.

I pushed through my door, jumped off the spiral ramp that circled the wall of the main room, and glided down towards the kitchen area. After rummaging through a few cupboards and getting the sound system to pound out some AC/DC, I was pigging out on a bag of human-sized Cheetos while watching the gazing out the window, watching the city come back to life.

"_This is like a more metallic version of Doru Araeba." _Islingr said in wonder.

"_Welcome to the modern realm." _I smiled. "_This is more advanced than back home, but it's still a fairly good representation of what Earth's cities are like."_

A pleasant ding resounded and I turned to see the lift slide open. Out of it filed Jacob, Sal, and Paddles.

"_Sup guys!" _I said happily. "_What did I miss in the Gathering?"_

"Just a Merry Christmas message and us taking in the new guys." Sal said with a smirk.

"_Okay, what are you hiding?" _I asked cautiously.

I didn't get a chance to answer as Jacob bounded over to me saying "Gem said you brought your teacher through! Can I met her? Please, please, please?!"

"_Sure." _I said, patching him through to Islingr with a smile. They'd keep each other busy for a while.

While I was distracted, Sal took the opportunity to ignore my question and sprawl out over the sofa, so I asked Paddles "_Why is nobody telling me anything?"_

He glanced at me before looking down at his paws. "Just… prepare yourself." He eventually said. "This might come as a bit of a shock to you."

Before I could question him further, the lift dinged again. One again, the doors slid open, revealing Gem, and three other occupants. The first was a black, hulking brute of a dragon that was about my size and covered in molten cracks. The second was a gold and white bird with six wings that had feathers that looked like they were made out of some kind of crystal. As for the third, she was a massive, five-headed dragoness that I could only be on head-height with if I stood upright. Said heads were submissively held close to the ground and was a different colour. One of them gnawed uncontrollably on a metal shape with lots of faces as she nervously looked around the room.

I vaguely recalled the bird as being in one of the Harry Potter films or something like that, but I knew that the lava-like dragon was a Deathwing from World of Warcraft, and as for the five-headed dragoness… Tiamat from Dungeons and Dragons, who was literally a Goddess in her own right. So… no pressure then.

I wandered over and gave each of them a good look before focusing on the person who had the form of Tiamat. There was something about her that I recognised, but I couldn't quite put my claw on. Narrowing my eyes, I checked her over again. I'd only played D&D a few times, but I'd been severely educated on this particular dragoness by… my…

Oh… my... God...

My eyes widened as the pieces of the puzzle started to snap together. A weak smell reminding me of a large farmhouse in North Dakota. Five sets of eyes that were as nervous as the day that I'd first seen them. And finally, an avid love for a certain dragoness from a certain role-playing game.

I started to tear up as I realised who I was looking at, which really shocked Gem.

"Who are you?_" _the five-headed dragoness asked timidly from her centre head as she backed away slightly. Thank goodness that she only used one mouth to speak with, or the echoes would have driven me crazy. Still, I knew that voice from several previous meetings.

"_Only a doppelganger thief with a set of daggers, a short sword, and a habit for rolling below ten… cousin." _I smiled as tears dripped from my eyes.

The smart car-sized D20 slipped from her now gaping mouths and landed on the floor with a _clang _as she locked eyes with me and began to tear up too. "Cade?!"

"_Hey Amara." _I said, standing vertically and enveloping her in a massive hug with my wings.

She joined in on the embrace, grabbing hold of me over my shoulders with her front legs and practically crushing me. Our long necks wrapped around those of each other until we were knotted together. We rocked back and forth a little, neither of us willing to break the hug first.

"It's been… terrifying." Amara cry-whispered into one of my ears. "Dying… and then that space… and then waking up somewhere strange and realising that I'm not me anymore. I can't cope, Cade."

"_Shh." _I replied, hugging her even tighter. I was very conscious about Angela's warning about Plainswalkers suiciding, and I would _not _let my cousin go down that route. "_You're gonna be okay, alright. I went through exactly the same thing, and I'm here for you if you want to talk about it."_

"How do- you deal- with it?" Amara sobbed into my scales, taking loud, hiccuping breaths. "I don't think- I can live with- myself- knowing what- this body is- and who- it belongs to! That person committed genocides!"

"_Hey, hey, hey, you're not the only one with a form that someone evil has."_ I consoled her._ "Do the actions of the original person who had the form reflect on you? Only if you let them. I got freaking King Ghidorah as my new body. He travels through space and destroys whole _planets _for fun, but do you see me flying through space and blowing planets up?"_

"Well, there was -the time- where you trashed- that- model of the- solar system- at that- space museum." Amara sniffled. "Your mom and dad- were _so _cross."

"_That doesn't count._" I chuckled; glad to see my cousin coming back. "_I was what, eight? And were you even with me on that trip?"_

"Yeah, I was!" Amara said indignantly through a loud sniff. "That was when I first explained Dungeons and Dragons to you!"

"_Oh yeah!" _I remembered, my eyes lighting up. "_You got me hooked into it. Remember when we used to play it over Skype?"_

She groaned. "Oh, God. That was awful!"

"_No it wasn't!" _I protested. "_That was great! Then you started insisting that we did it whenever we were together and I somehow got worse."_

"That was because you used to roll you dice off camera where I couldn't see the result, and then lied about your score!" Amara groaned.

"_I… might have done that." _I conceded as my cousin laughed at me.

We finally tried to pull apart before realising that we had managed to knot ourselves together. What followed next was a long, tedious ordeal with Gem calling out instructions while Amara and I did our best to follow them amidst a cloud of laughter from my friends and the new arrivals.

When we finally got free from each other, I hopefully asked "_Feeling better?"_

"Yeah. Thanks."

"_Anytime. It's good to see you, cuz."_

"Likewise."

"_You wanna stick with me for the time being? I'd be glad to have you with me."_

"Yeah. Don't we have to protect the world we woke up in though? Would I be allowed to switch to where you are?"

"_I'm sure we could figure something out." _I said. "_From my experience with them, the Elders are pretty understanding. What realm did you get sent to, anyway?"_

"I've been there since September, and I still have no clue." Amara said.

"_Where's your key?" _I asked. "_The picture on the non-city side usually helps."_

"Here." Amara said, pointing to where it was threaded around her middle neck by a leather cord.

I analysed the engraving. From what I could tell, there was a medieval style warrior on it facing off against some kind of disfigured, humanoid, monster. In the background, there was a dragon lying on a hoard of gold nestled in a hill. It took a while before it finally clicked.

"_Beowulf!" _I realised excitedly.

"Bear-wolf?" Amara asked, making me shudder.

"_First, please never mention that first animal while I'm around." _I groaned, shaking off flashbacks. "_I died because of one of those. And secondly, it's actually Beowulf. It's this poem where this guy called Beowulf kills two monsters, becomes king, rules for a long time, and then gets killed by a dragon guarding a hoard. Compared to a lot of people, you actually got a fairly safe realm."_

"What did you get, then?"

"_Ever read the Inheritance Cycle?"_

"Oh." Amara replied, her eyes going distant. "The one with the war between the evil rider king and the rebel army? The one with Eragon and Saphira?"

"_Yeah. It's violent though. Like, 'you'll have to kill people and watch the blood spurt' violent. Can you cope with that?"_

Amara sighed. "I can cope with it if you're there and if you can."

I dropped down to all fours and drooped my heads. "_I've… already had to kill. I only did it when I had to, and only on Urgals, but I've done it."_

Amara took the information fairly well. "Violent place, eat or be eaten. I get it. You did what you had to. Though what are Urgals again?"

"_Cross Orcs with Pigs and you'll get a good idea of what they're like."_

My cousin snorted in laughter. "That's a mental image that I won't get out of my head- heads soon."

"_You'll get used to the new terminology." _I said. "_Have you accessed any of your abilities yet?"_

"Only a tail stinger and my fire, acid, poisonous gas, lightning and ice breaths. You?"

I chuckled. "_Lightning beams, covering my body with lightning, growing and shrinking, shielding my mind, all that jazz. I still need to learn how to create storms, let out an alpha call and break into minds, but I'm fairly happy with my deal at the moment."_

"I have to figure out some other stuff too." Amara said. "This form has an truckload of skills, but I only want to learn a few of them. Corrupting water and controlling reptiles, for example."

"_I shall tremble before your army of geckos." _I laughed, before turning more serious. "_I wonder if dragons count as reptiles? Then if you do that and if I can do an alpha call, we could get an army of dragons following us!"_

Gem chose to interrupt our conversation by yelling "Everyone to get ready to move out! You won't need anything, I've got it all taken care of!"

"Where are we going?" Jacob asked.

"The Tundrak Mountains!" Our clan leader replied. "Single day ski trip!"

There were a few cheers, but one of the newbies asked "How far away is that? Can we fly there and back in a day?"

Gem smiled and pointed out the window. "We can't, but that can."

We all turned and looked to see an absolutely _huge _dropship thing descending out of the sky, engines firing at full blast to slow the fall.

"That's our ride, and it leaves in 5 minutes, so get aboard."

I was about to follow the others who were crowding the lift before Amara stopped me. "Um… is there somewhere I can put my metal D20 to make sure it stays safe?"

I eyed the thing on the floor, covered with drool and bite marks. "_Err… yeah. Follow me."_

We quickly ran up the ramp to my room.

"This is where you sleep?" Amara said, looking around at it all. "This is awesome."

"_Yeah." _I said, plopping the backpack containing Islingr's Eldunarí on the bed. "_Just stick your mega-dice on one of the shelves, but make sure it's clean first!"_

"Right, sorry."

My cousin wiped the thing on her scales, which didn't really do much to help, then ran into the bathroom to look for a towel.

"_Why do you have that thing, anyway?" _I asked.

"Dunno." Amara said. "It just appeared next to me when I… er…"

"_Respawned." _I supplied.

"Yeah, that. It's super-tough, so I started chomping on it when I got stressed, a bit like how dogs have chew toys. I guess it just deteriorated into habit from there."

I decided not to comment about how weird that was, and the two of us scampered back towards the lift, Amara placing the D20 on a shelf as she passed it.

* * *

The flight in the spaceship was beyond cool. I mean, I'd been in a plane before, but this was a spaceship. A spaceship! Awesome. Evidently, everyone else except for Paddles was also enjoying the ride, with our resident swimmer having belted himself into as many safety harnesses as he could find.

"_So." _I broadcasted to everyone but primarily addressed the three noobs. And yes, I included my cousin in that group. "_So, who are you guys and what are you in for?"_

"Broke my leg while hiking with friends." Amara explained, leaving out the 'who she was' part for obvious reasons. "It got infected and developed into something nasty."

I nodded. Decent, but was still similar to Sal.

"Call me Regal." The six winged bird explained briskly. "And if you have to know, some drunk driver crashed into me while I was riding my motorcycle."

Boring. Motorcycles were death wishes anyway.

"Darius." The Deathwing said with a slight accent, offering me a paw to shake, which I did. "I was murdered by a gang of bullies who were blackmailing my little sister. I happened to be walking past an alleyway when I heard her scream." The volcano-like dragon shuddered and fluttered his wings. "I'll never forget that. I charged in, got myself between them and her. They had a knife. I told my sister to run and get help, which she did, but not before I was stabbed. They got me in the heart by fluke, but at the time I was so pissed with them that I didn't notice. I managed to break a lot of their bones and knock one of the scumbags out before I collapsed. The rest of them made a run for it after that."

The Deathwing stared into nothingness, just remembering. "My sister managed to get some police officers by then. They arrested the guy I'd knocked out, and called some paramedics, but I knew it was too late for me. The officers did too, so they let my sister through the line they'd set up. My last words were that I loved her, and that I wanted her to be safe, and to tell my parents that I loved them."

There was a short silence before I said. "_I went out in a similar way, but nothing as brave as you, dude. My five friends and I were camping in a nation park in Montana, and a hungry b-" _Once again, my mind refused to co-operate. For goodness sake. I growled and rolled my eyes. "_Sorry. As I was saying, a big, furry and aggressive animal with razor sharp claws and massive teeth comes along, and its hungry. I'm the idiot who tells them to go, tries to distract it, and I get eaten. The others got out alright- physically at least. I'm not sure how they were mentally effected."_

"And the rest of you guys?" Amara asked.

Jacob took over, pointing at each person in turn. "Gas pipe explosion, disease, drowned, car crash."

"_What do you think the next schmuck will get?" _I chuckled, trying to lighten the mood. "_I'm gonna go with a shark attack." _

"Nah." Jacob said. "Astronaut that forgot to put their helmet on. Head goes pop."

"No way that's going to happen." Amara said, willing to go along with us. "I'd bet that the next person's gonna get trapped in one of those giant, walk-in freezers and get hypothermia."

As the others started smiling a little more and offered their own stupid suggestions (apart from Regal, who I didn't really understand yet), I struck up a conversation with Darius. Turns out that he was 17, originally from Italy, but had taken English as one of his options so could speak it with a barely detectable accent. In contrast, he learned about me, my terrible, _terrible _linguistics skills, and what it was like to have multiple heads.

Eventually, we both got talking about videogames, in particular, World of Warcraft. We'd never met each other online, but we told each other about missions we'd done, gear we'd won, stuff we'd killed and the characters we had. I liked to make characters that could tank every hit they took and could deal at least twice as much pain. Darius, however, loved to use fast, agile characters with specifics on stealth and dodging.

That was when a bleep filled the… cabin? Was it a cabin in a spaceship? I'm going to assume so. Anyway, a bleep sounded with the alert "Ten minutes out from the drop, so get your gear on now. And if your wingless friend goes splat, it's not my problem."

As the alert cut off, Regal asked "What gear is being referred to?"

Gem strode over to a large storage locker, flipped open it's door and tossed Regal two long, flat objects. Skis. "I did say that this was a ski trip, didn't I?"

"Dibs on_ a board!" _Darius and I said together, then looked at each other and grinned.

"Why are you getting one?" he asked as I caught the first one.

"_I've been surfing once, and I figured that having the experience of being on a board might translate from one form of water to another."_

Darius laughed as he caught the other board with a paw. "Trust me, mio amico, surfing and snowboarding are two different things."

"_Oh." _I said, eyeing my board with a worried eye. "_Have you done both?"_

"Yes." My new friend confirmed. "I lived in a fairly northern region, so I often went snowboarding in the Alps in the winter, and there was a large lake that my Dad had a small speedboat on. One time, we attached a surfboard to it via a rope and tried surfing. That's probably more like water-skiing though. By the way, where did you go surfing?"

"_Hawaii." _I smiled.

"Lucky *******." Darius mock complained. "I bet that was nice. Anyway, there are a few things that surfing and snowboarding have in common; like the fact that you still have to lean in the direction that you want to go in, so they're similar in some regards. I can coach you a little if you want."

"_Dude, that would be awesome!" _I smiled in thanks.

"Can I get in on this 'being coached' thing?" Amara asked, poking her heads into our conversation.

"The more, the merrier." Darius decided, moving around to let my cuz into our small group. "Now all we have to do is wait for whenever they decide to drop us off."

* * *

The pilot of the spaceship had set us down in a valley between several gigantic, snow-smothered mountains that were so high that they passed through several cloud layers, although I could see tiny lines indicating where the various runs were. Apparently, this was due to robotic machines that went up and down the various slopes, flattening it, making it perfect for skiing. As we all disembarked, there were several whistles of appreciation.

"Alright!" Gem said. "Go off and enjoy yourselves, but be back here by sundown! And I'd recommend that you take a partner with you in case something goes wrong."

Everyone nodded and we split into three groups. Jacob and Sal were with Gem, while Paddles and Regal decided to stick together, which left Darius, Amara and I to explore the slopes.

* * *

It was about half an hour before Darius found a good place to start my (and Amara's) snowboarding adventure. We'd found a fairly smooth slope that wasn't at much of an incline, and set up shop. As we landed, the snow hissed under Darius's paws as it found its way into the molten gaps in his scales.

"_Do those molteny bits hurt you?" _I asked him as I hopped on my board. Instead of having to do up bindings, they just stuck to our feet, which was either because of magic or some kind of gravity generator. Who knows anymore?

"Not unless I get something itchy in them, but whatever it is usually gets burnt out fairly easily." Darius replied, before advising Amara where on her board she should put her four feet.

I was the luckiest of us three, as I could actually stand on the board how you're supposed to. Despite that, my friend and my cousin quickly sorted themselves out, and we were ready.

Giving myself a small push, I started to move down the slope. Picking up speed very slowly, I tried leaning my weight to one side, like I would in surfing. The on account of not having a fin, the board wasn't as responsive as I expected, but I did start turning. I aimed the board back the way I was going with a smile, and glanced back to see how Darius and Amara were doing.

They seemed to be doing well, with Darius showing Amara how to turn. Before I could pick up any more speed, I quickly asked him "_How do I stop?"_

"Just swing the board around until its horizontal to the direction of the slope and lean backwards." He replied, not even turning around.

I did as he advised, and sure enough, I stopped. Apparently, snowboarders often sat on their butts when they had to stop and wait for someone. I had to settle for standing instead, as I couldn't exactly sit down because of my tails. Fortunately, Darius and Amara were only a few dozen metres behind me, so it only took them a few seconds to catch up.

Amara tried stopping too, only to overdo the leaning backwards bit (well, it was to the side for her) and fell over with a surprised yelp.

"_You okay down there, cuz?" _I asked casually.

"Shut up before I bite your heads off." Amara growled as she got back to her paws. "This is still a new body for me. You can't expect me to do everything right first time."

"_Sorry." _I apologised. "_You're right. I crashed a couple of times before I figured out landing. Got stuck in a tree once, too."_

"How did that happen?" Darius chuckled.

"_I came into land a little too low, and one of my tails caught in the branches." _I said sheepishly as the others laughed.

* * *

The sun was low in the sky as the three of us prepared for our last run. Darius had taught Amara and I the basics of snowboarding to a point where he was satisfied that we could easily deal with everything up to a black run, and so we started to go further and further up the mountain we were on. Since there were no lifts, we had to fly up to where we wanted to start, which lead to what we were doing now.

"Are we sure about this?" Amara asked as we rose towards our start point.

"_Yes."_ Darius and I chorused, then grinned at each other.

"Fine." Amara sighed. "I call dibs on being in the middle."

"_Dibs on being first!" _I claimed.

Darius rolled his eyes. "I was going to go last anyway, just in case one of you crash."

"_Thank you for the show of confidence." _I said sarcastically, before going into a dive. "_Let's go!"_

The plan was to transition directly from flying to snowboarding, keeping as much speed as possible in the process. Chilly air whistled past me, howling in my ears and clawing at my scales. I pulled up over the run at the last second, positioned my board correctly, and then dropped a metre or two before slamming onto the snow. I crouched low on my board, trying to go as fast as possible.

I heard two other thuds, and asked Darius and Amara "_You guys land alright?"_

"We're good!" Darius shouted back.

I grinned, and took the first curve we came to tightly, sending a plume of snow whooshing out to the side as I gained speed with a loud whoop. I glanced behind myself with one head as the other two concentrated on driving. Amara swished around the corner, closely followed by Darius, each of them with an accompanying slide of snow. I gave them a brief smile before turning my full attention back to not crashing.

The three of us flew down the run, snow spraying when we took corners. On straights, we all crouched low, trying to get the most speed. Due to her larger size, Amara often went the fastest in a straight line, as she carried the most momentum. This prompted Darius and me to try to take corners as fast as possible in order to stay with of her, turning the fast-paced run into a full-on race.

We zipped down the mountain in speeds that would have had us arrested if we were on a freeway, and would have broken our bones in the corners if we were still human. Emerging onto the final slope, the three of us were neck and necks. Yes, bad pun intended. Then Darius decided to unveil his ace move.

Quickly spinning his board in a 180 turn, he opened his jaws and used his fire to propel him like a rocket. As he passed me, he gave me a smug wink, and I started cursing. I'd been winning until that point!

I glanced at Amara and asked "_Any way we can get in front of him?"_

She thought for a moment and then grinned from all five of her heads. "Get close to me!"

I did as she asked, and watched as she started using one of her various breaths on the snow in front of us. I watched as her white head let out a blue beam, freezing the snow into ice, and reducing the friction on our boards. We smirked at Darius as we passed him, making his eyes widen in shock.

"_What about melting the snow in front of him?" _I asked Amara with a sly grin.

"On it!" She said before opening the jaws of her red head and unleashing a torrent of flame.

The snow underneath the thermal onslaught went up in steam, revealing stark, grey rock. Darius saw what we were doing out of the corner of his eye and sharply corrected his path. A little too sharply, actually. He cut off his flame, whipped his board around, and turned hard. In our direction.

He ploughed into me, which knocked me into Amara who hurriedly cut off her ice and fire beams. The three of us got tangled up, fell over and ended up forming a massive snowball that rolled down the last few hundred metres of the slope. It felt a bit like what would happen if you got yourself trapped in a washing machine, except on a much, much faster cycle.

The snowball got faster and faster until the slope levelled out, sending it rolling into the side of the spaceship with a _whumph_, shattering it, and leaving Amara, Darius, and me in a dazed, snow covered heap.

"_Let's do that again." _I smiled weakly as the rest of our clan came around the side of the ship to see what the noise was and began laughing at our expense.

"No." Darius's muffled groan came from somewhere in the middle of the pile of snow. "Let's never do that again. Ever_._"

"Agreed." Amara said. "And whoever has their tail wrapped around three of my necks, please remove it."

"_Gem, a little help please?" _I asked, unwrapping the offending limb from my cousin's necks.

The clan only laughed harder as Darius' dazed and steaming head erupted from the snow, covered in the white flakes.

* * *

The flight back went by quickly. I'd apparently suffered a concussion in all three of my heads, but my regenerative process sorted that out within the flight. I quickly sorted out a mental to-do list, and managed to sort out most of the issues on it via a few e-mails.

Because of that, when we got back to Bluepeak, the Elders had sent a new key for Amara, and I had a giant sack of jelly beans. The robot courier that had delivered both items also took Amara's current key away, probably to the place that stored them. Apparently, keys could have their current user's signature wiped, but it had to be done by an Elder, so I assumed that was what was going to happen to it.

Anyway, after saying goodbye to the clan, getting Islingr's Eldunarí and Amara's D20, and slinging the bag of beans onto my back, we both hit the Rift. It was strange to be doing it with someone after getting so used to doing it by myself, but we arrived in Alagaësia where I'd left. The sun was in the same place as it was in Locostral, but it was hidden by clouds so we couldn't see it.

I turned a head towards Amara while trying to remember where the camp was. "_Quick heads-up; Eragon, Brom and Saphira don't know about the whole rebirth/plainswalking thing. My- now our- cover story is that we come from a land far away over the sea, and we were exiled from it. We came here afterwards. You can talk about home and stuff, just don't mention Locostral or anything like that. Got it?"_

"Yep." Amara replied.

"_Cool. Now, what else do I have to mention… Oh yeah, I introduced myself as Ghidorah, so remember to call me that here."_

"Noted."

"_And you can't talk verbally, that would blow our cover." _I added, having found the smell of a fire._ "Dragons here can only talk how I can, telepathically. Ebrithil, would you quickly run Amara through the basics, please?"_

"_It would be my pleasure."_ Islingr replied.

"_Thanks." _I said to her, then went back to speaking to my cuz. "_We'll wait here until you get it, then fly back to the camp and I'll introduce you. Will you use your normal name, or something different? Amara isn't exactly a dragonish name, but we can work round it."_

Amara thought on it before saying "I'll keep my name. It'll be less confusing."

I nodded, but thought about the reaction that I'd seen from her earlier. If she was that scared of becoming who her form was, then perhaps she thought that taking the name of it, like I had done, was the first step down a dark path. Maybe. I'm not a psychologist.

* * *

It only took half an hour for Amara to get telepathy. She could transmit words well enough, but was still struggling with pictures and emotions. Islingr judged her good enough for first contact, so we flew back to the campsite. Deciding not to freak anyone out, I landed first.

Everyone was still awake, with even Eragon up, but not quite about.

"_Sup everyone!" _I greeted them as I landed.

There were three sullen greetings in return, so I decided to lighten the mood.

"_Merry Christmas!" _I announced happily, tossing the sack of jelly beans to Saphira. "_I bring gifts!"_

One look inside and her eyes went wide. She looked in astonishment from me, to the bag, and back to me again. She finally broke out of the cycle with a joyous shout of "_Thank you, thank you, thank you!" _and a bounding lap of the clearing.

I turned to Eragon. "_I presume you've been lectured on your stupidity?" _He nodded sullenly, so I said "_Your gift is that I don't rip your head off for breaking your promise. I asked for you to think things through before acting, but you haven't seemed to learn that."_

Brom chuckled at my antics and asked "What do I get?"

"_A new addition to the 'let's beat Galbatorix into a pulp group'." _I grinned before looking to the sky and yelling "_That's your cue, cuz!"_

Sure enough, Amara swooped down into the camp with a massive _thud_, making the saddlebags jump a foot in the air. Saphira growled at her arrival and possessively clutched her bag of jelly beans.

"_Sorry." _Amara said sheepishly, checking that she hadn't broken anything. "_Hi, I'm Amara. Ghidorah's my cousin."_

Surprisingly, Saphira stopped her growling almost immediately, and her mouth fell open. "_You two… you're related?"_

"_Isn't it obvious?" _I chuckled. "_Extra heads run in our family. We're special like that."_

"And do you breathe lightning like your cousin?" Brom asked.

"_Only from this head." _Amara smiled, waving around her blue head. "_I also do fire, ice, acid, and poisonous gas depending on what people order."_

The three Alagaësians exchanged glances and shrugged in sync. I guess that I desensitised them to weirdness.

"Well," Brom smiled, "welcome to our damned-fool idealistic crusade."

I grinned. I'd reunited with my cousin, got to go snowboarding, and made a new friend. All in all, this had been one of the best Christmases that I'd had.

* * *

**Snaphots #1A  
(These are going to be short, funny bits tacked on the end of a chapter, probably in a chronological order. Enjoy!)**

"Okay, how the fuck did we get here?" Amara asked.

"_Search me." _I said, looking around in interest.

"Perhaps we simply took a wrong turn in the Rift." Darius suggested. "But the real question is what do we do now?"

As the oldest Plainswalker present, I had the most experience with realm hopping, so I decided to dispense my wisdom. "_The way I see it, we have two options." _I decided. "_We can either get back to Locostral, or we exploit an opportunity we may never get again in our immortal lives."_

"I'm going to exploit the opportunity." My cousin said, a massive smile breaking over her snout.

Both of us glanced at Darius who shrugged. "Why not? I'm always up for sightseeing."

Our course of action agreed upon, we started playing hacky sack with a Quaffle in the middle of Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch.


	16. Chapter 16- Sizes and Swords

**Author's note: HELLO BOYS, I'M BACK! So, Searching For Lost Gems is complete (like, three days ago), and I'm back to writing this! Woot woot! In other news, RegalEagIe is writing another Plainswalking story involving, unsurprisingly, Regal (who was their OC submission to start with). Go check out Regalian Thunder in the Fairy Tail section. I've also set up a Discord server for this Plainswalking stuff. Find the link in my profile and drop by if you want to! I've set up a Pat-reon (yeah, spelt wrong, but FanFiction keeps on deleting the word if I write it properly) too! I don't have a Saturday job or anything, so I thought that setting this up would be a good way to get a little money on the side. Don't feel that you have to give, but I'll appreciate it if you do! There's a link in my profile if you want to check that out.**

**And onto the reviews! (These make my day, so please leave some!):**

**eragon95159: Alternate forms, huh? I've established in Searching For Hidden Gems that Plainswalkers can only shapeshift if the ability is one that their form has. So if you get an animagus from Harry Potter you can shapeshift into an animal. Therefore, since Amara is Tiamat… yeah, she can do that to a human form, according to D&D lore. Cade on the other hand, would have to shrink down to be able to fit in a backpack or something. But still, that'll be good for some infiltration and stuff.  
****chris: Pants will be crapped in when our friendly neighborhood Plainswalkers come to call!  
****Wizzer96: Glad you like how I portrayed your OC! Yup, the Bluepeak Riftwalkers are slowly but surely becoming world destroyers. I checked out the version you suggested, and I'll go with that for abilities.  
****Blaze1992: Yeah, if Amara gets hurt then Cade will pretty much go Category 6 and wreck everything.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: Orders have been received and will be acted on!  
****OechsnerC: Thanks! I hope that you guys find that my updates continue to be awesome. If they aren't, then something's going wrong.  
****RegalEagIe: We have talked a LOT, and everything's cool.  
****chris kidder: The Varden will either freak out or party for days at having three dragons on their side.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 16: Sizes and Swords**

The next few weeks consisted of Amara, Saphira and I tailing Brom and Eragon. Saphira and Eragon seemed to get on well with my cousin, and having her around also made me a lot happier. Amara had adapted to Alagaësia well, and so far, hadn't had any slip-ups. In fact, she was a better at acting than I was, which lead me to ask what her Charisma stat was. She just rolled all ten of her eyes and bonked me on the heads with her tail.

Having Amara with me also made my pranking tendencies re-emerge, and I dragged her into the mix. Since my cousin could create both ice and fire, we created personal rain for Brom and Eragon. It wasn't until day three that they realised that it was our fault, which we found hilarious. And then there was also what was labelled forever after as 'the hatchling incident'…

* * *

It was the fourth day after Amara had come to Alagaësia with me. The two of us were hunting together, and with Islingr's help, we were running Amara through the basics of tracking and killing. I showed off my usual method of getting lunch and encouraged her to try it out. She managed it fairly well with only a few hiccups, so we settled down in a forest clearing to eat.

"So." Amara said between bites. She still liked to talk aloud when we were alone. "You said to me in Locostral that you can change your size, right?"

I grinned, thinking back to the first time that I'd gone full size against a Bewilderbeast while helping Gem out of a tight spot. "_Yup. I can grow to King Ghidorah's height on the big screen, so about 160 meters tall as a maximum. I'm not sure what my minimum is."_

"Can I see?!" My cousin asked excitedly.

"_I'll give it a go." _I shrugged. "_I went big last time, so let's see how small I can go."_

Standing up, I closed my eyes and drew in power from the Rift while visualising myself as small as possible. I'd had a bit of practice at this, but I hadn't utilised the ability much since I discovered it. Still, I felt the semi-familiar burst of power, and I felt myself getting smaller.

I opened my eyes again when I heard Amara's excited squeal of "You look adorable!"

The first thing I saw was my cousin's five faces blotting out the rest of the world, which made me hurriedly back up with a surprised "_Woah!"_

"Sorry, sorry!" Amara said, quickly letting me have more room. "It's just… wow!"

"_What?" _I asked. "_You're acting like I look different, and not just from the change in size."_

"Well… It might be better if you see for yourself."

So saying, my cousin created an ice crystal big enough so I could see my reflection. What I saw was startling to say the least. I was about the size that I guessed Saphira would be when she first emerged from her egg. However, instead of simply being a smaller copy of my regular self, I actually looked like a hatchling. My eyes were much larger in comparison to my heads than they used to be, my claws and talons were shorter, and my spikes had become much more rounded, less sharp.

"Cuz," Amara said, "you could win literally every cuteness competition you could enter."

Admiring my own reflection, I decided to bring out the heavy artillery, and unleashed the puppy eyes with a soft whine. Amara almost died from adorableness overload, so I quickly cut the sound off.

Grinning, I turned to her and asked "_Wanna try a prank?"_

Amara smirked. "Hell yes!"

"_Can you give me a lift?"_

"Sure. What's the plan?"

"_I'll explain on the way."_

* * *

Credit to my cousin, she was a good actress. When she landed next to our companions, she was in a state, barely able to gibber out the mental words of "_Something happened to Ghidorah!"_

"_What!?_" Saphira, Eragon and Brom all shouted at once. I think they meant it more as an expression of surprise than an actual question, but it was hard to tell.

"_He's… he's okay, but… well, you should probably see for yourselves."_

So saying, Amara raised one of her heads to her back and gently picked me up. After a brief ride, my cousin deposited me on the grassy floor of the clearing that we were in, and I squeaked indignantly as she stepped back a little, leaving me on the cold forest floor.

"No way." Eragon said, too stunned to move.

He, Saphira and Brom all wore the same expression of dumbfounded shock.

"_I… I don't know what to do…" _Amara said sadly. "_Four days after I meet up with my cousin, and he's a hatchling again…"_

I just squeaked happily and licked one of my snouts, seemingly oblivious.

"How did this happen?" Brom questioned.

"_I don't know." _My cousin replied, hanging her heads. "_One minute we were eating together, and the next there was this bright light. When it was gone, Ghidorah was like this."_

There was a brief pause before Eragon asked "Could this be the result of some type of magic?"

Brom shook his head. "Nothing that I know of can make someone younger, especially not a dragon."

I started letting out cries of ever-increasing volume, trying to get across the message of 'pay attention to me!'

Apparently, responding to crying hatchlings was built into dragons, as both Saphira and Amara surged forward to look after me. There was an awkward moment as they both collided in their rush to get to me, which made me chuckle internally, but they pulled themselves apart fairly quickly.

"Do either of you actually know how to take care of hatchlings?" Brom asked, which made them look away sheepishly.

"_Err, not really." _Amara conceded.

The former rider rolled his eyes and strode forward to pick me up. "Quiet now, Little One. Let's get you something to eat."

As he gently put an arm under me and lifted me to his chest, I discretely shot Amara a shocked expression. Brom was actually capable of being gentle? She just stared back, as surprised as I was.

I quickly found that I didn't like being carried, so I decided to solve the issue… by growling and biting Brom on the nose. To his credit, he didn't scream, but he did shout- more in surprise than pain- and dropped me, allowing me to scamper off towards the treeline. Eragon quickly ran after me with Saphira in hot pursuit. Amara looked like she wanted to follow me too, but was way too big to fit between the trees. Heck, even Saphira was pushing it, leaving behind broken branches and scarred bark.

Therefore, it was no surprise that Eragon was the only one who managed to keep on my tails. I led him on a merry chase through the woods, over fallen logs, across a small stream, and halfway up a tree, laughing to myself the entire time. The young rider had to stop at the base of the tree, panting slightly from the effort of running. He looked up at me and gave me the stink-eye, so I stuck my tongues out at him and climbed higher, using my claws to hook into the bark and pull myself up.

Eragon groaned and began climbing after me. He was pretty good at it too, gaining height faster than I was, even with one of his hands in a splint. When I was a quarter of the way from the top, I felt his hand on one of my tails, and I turned my three heads back to face him.

"_You catchted me!" _I squeaked happily, deciding to dumb down my speech to the level of a toddler. "_Now my turn! I catch you!"_

Eragon's face shifted from a smile to a fox-like grin. He knew that this was his opportunity to get me back to the clearing, as did I.

"Can I get down first?" He asked me. "My hand is hurt and I don't want to accidentally fall."

"_Kay." _I accepted, manoeuvring myself to one of the branches so I could take off as Eragon started descending.

As soon as his feet hit the forest floor, I launched myself out of the tree, diving at the young Rider, who started running the way that we had come. I managed to sustain a pretty long glide on my tiny wings, but I started running as soon as I hit the ground. Eragon did a very good job at keeping enough distance between us so that he wouldn't get caught, but wouldn't allow me to trail so far behind that I lost track of where he was.

When I finally got within five meters of Eragon, I leapt to tackle him, but I was surprised to find myself snatched out of the air. A strong but gentle set of jaws closed on the scruff of my centre neck, and I turned my other two heads to see that it was Saphira who had grabbed me.

"_Hey!" _I said as I swung in the air. "_Don't like! Wanna play! Need to catch!"_

"_No." _Saphira said primly. "_You have run away from us once already today. You will not do so a second time unless one of us is with you."_

"_Pwease?" _I asked, turning the puppy eyes up to eleven and adding the whine.

Saphira must have been made of fucking titanium, because she didn't break _at all_. Instead, it was Eragon- who'd stopped running after Saphira intervened- who did the obligatory "aww". Still, I was carried back into camp in my fellow dragoness's jaws, and I was sufficiently embarrassed when Brom and Amara saw me. Brom just grinned, but my cousin had no mercy, unleashing a draconic belly laugh, and was quickly reduced to helplessly rolling around on the floor.

As my captor deposited me onto the grassy ground, then gently put a paw on me to stop me from running off again, I decided that enough was enough. Growing back to my regular size, which made the Alagaësians quickly get out of the way, I poked Eragon with a claw and grinned.

"_And that classes you as 'catchted'."_

"You were… you were fully aware of what you were doing, weren't you?" Eragon realised, shocked.

"_Yup." _I smirked. "_I found out that I could do this a couple of weeks ago, and I've been practising while you guys aren't around."_

There was a long pause before Brom yelled "You bit my nose, you bastard!"

"_And that would be my cue to leave for a bit!" _I laughed, taking off as Amara collapsed into more laughter.

* * *

I stayed away for a couple of days, leaving Brom's anger to cool off for a bit. Amara and Saphira both managed to find me in that time, and I took great pleasure in showing Saphira what it was like to be on the receiving end of being held by the scruff of your neck. That pissed her off for a while too, but she soon got over it.

At the end of the period where I judged that I'd be yelled at, I finally returned to Brom and Eragon, just before one of their evening duels. I landed at the very edge of the camp with a soft thump and slowly made my way into the firelight and laid down between my fellow dragons.

"_Sup." _I said.

"_Hey cuz." _Amara replied, headlocking my left skull and giving it a noogie. I promptly responded by flaring electricity around my head, giving my cousin a small shock, which made her release me.

Saphira merely nodded politely at me before turning back to the duel. Both master and student were really going for it, each of them desperately executing stabs, parries, and slashes. Eragon had become much better at swordplay since he started, and he was using his non-dominant hand to boot, but he still couldn't beat Brom. Zar'roc span off into the bushes, and Eragon sagged, panting hard.

Glancing at both of my scaly companions, then where Zar'roc had spun off to, I rose, stood vertically, then shrank down to the approximate size of a human. My shoulder came up to a little above Eragon's, but my necks had to bend down to allow me to see, which made me seem much taller than the average person.

As I walked into the bushes, Amara and Saphira seemed to catch on to what I was doing.

Saphira was about to protest, but Amara said "_Let him have a go. You never know, he may be fairly good at it, and at least it will help him keep out of trouble for a few minutes."_

"_Oh, ye of little faith." _I grumbled as I found the blood-red sword, then stepped back into the light.

"_How long do you think he will last against the Old One?" _Saphira asked my cousin.

Amara sucked in air between her teeth. "_Ooh, hard to say. Five minutes, tops. What do you think?"_

"_Above three minutes, but below seven."_

"_Wanna make a bet?"_

"_As people say where you come from, 'sure'."_

"_So what would the winner get?"_

"_Do you accept jelly beans?"_

Amara chuckled as I stopped before Brom and raised Zar'roc. "_May I have a go?"_

The former Rider laughed, but allowed me to advance as Eragon staggered towards Saphira.

"_Any pointers?" _I asked.

Brom shook his head. "If you're learning with me, then you learn the hard way."

He charged quickly, taking me off guard. I barely managed to raise the ruby sword in time to block his blade, but metal struck against metal with a resounding clang. I responded with a very wobbly stab, my wings getting in the way. Brom easily batted my strike aside, then whipped his blade around mine and towards my chest. I jumped back from the strike, but tripped over my own tails and fell backwards, dropping Zar'roc.

Brom advanced until he stood over me. Then he thrusted, but I kicked him in the stomach with both feet, knocking the wind out of him. That gave me enough time to roll over, pick up Zar'roc and get ready for the next assault.

"Bit of a cheap shot." Brom grunted as he got his breath back.

"_I thought we were learning the hard way." _I replied with mock innocence.

The former Rider scowled, then came at me again with two large, sweeping swings, which I avoided by ducking underneath the first one and parrying the second. Given that my skill with swords was pretty much zero apart from playing with plastic lightsabers, I thought that I was doing pretty well until Brom stabbed a hole in one of my wings.

I howled in pain and dropped Zar'roc before I grabbed his sword with my injured arm, wrenched it out of his grip, and punched him in the face with my good arm. Brom staggered backwards as I got both swords in my hands. Lunging forward, I knocked Brom to the floor and crossed both blades over his throat in a X.

"Remarkably well done." Brom commented as I stepped back, dropped his sword on him, and examined my partially healed wing.

I was surprised that it had been cut, especially with the magical barrier covering both blades, but I guess that Brom had just put a lot of force behind the strike.

"_Let's do it again." _I demanded. "_I beat you because I used my body to my advantage, not because I'm good with a sword."_

"A good assessment." The former Rider agreed before stabbing at me.

* * *

The next few matches we did, Brom definitely won. However, we quickly found that I was better at defence than offence. I could anticipate where Brom's strikes would come from, and I had a good enough reaction time to either get out of the way or block his attack with my superior strength.

On the other hand, I was absolutely crap at attacking. My swings were unbalanced, my thrusts went wide, and I couldn't get a feint right for the life of me. The only moves that I could successfully pull off was a dual tail strike, forcing Brom to block both of my limbs while I snuck Zar'roc up to his throat, and using my claws to bat Brom's weapon aside before lunging.

Our session ended when the former Rider disarmed me in the same way he had done with Eragon, sending Zar'roc flying into the bushes. As he brought his sword backwards and thrusted at my chest, something sparked inside my heads and everything seemed to blur. The next thing I knew, I had caught Brom's blade between my palms, stopping it an inch from my chest.

After a few seconds, I released the blade, sagged a little, and took a few steps backwards. Brom was panting heavily as he removed the magic guard from his sword, wiped my blood off it with a cloth, and sheathed it. Eragon got up to retrieve his blade, and I was left to ponder how the **** I'd done something so awesome as I returned to my usual size and dropped to all fours with a loud thud.

"_Not bad for your first time, cuz." _Amara congratulated me.

I shook my heads despondently. _"I'm shit. I can do blocks and stuff, but I suck at strikes."_

"_As long as you can hold an opponent off for long enough," _Saphira encouraged, "_you can strike them back when they tire."_

"_That makes sense." _I shrugged.

"_To be honest, who cares?" _Amara pointed out. "_Dude, you're a three-headed dragon. Who the fuck's gonna challenge you to a swordfight? Just zap 'em and call it a day."_

I chuckled at that, then said goodnight and curled up to get some sleep.

* * *

**Snapshot #1B**

"How did this even happen!?" Amara shouted from one head while firing ice with another.

"_I don't know!" _I yelled back, trying my best to beat out the fire with my wings, which just made it bigger. "_All I know is that it's not my fault! I don't do fire!"_

"Well it wasn't me!" Darius shouted.

"Liar!" Amara said. "You're literally the fire dude, and I haven't used my flame at all today!"

One of my heads spotted several figures hurrying down towards the Quidditch pitch. "_Bail, bail! We've got incoming! Bug out now!"_

"Shit!" my fellow Plainswalkers yelled.

Together, the three of us leaped over one of the pitch's grandstands and ran for it into the Forbidden Forest. The stadium behind us snapped, crackled and popped in a massive inferno, a half-melted Quaffle lying in the middle of it.


	17. Chapter 17: I officially hate lakes

**Author's note: And we now have 80 followers, and over 8000 views! Thanks everyone! And now, a new chapter, but I'm angry and frustrated for personal reasons, so this chapter is much shorter than what I usually come up with, and is bit of a reflection of my current mental state. I profusely apologize for any crappyness.**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:**

**OechsnerC: Thanks! I tried to get the Hatchling thing right, and I really struggled with it for some reason.**

**Wizzer96: To be honest, I wasn't really looking at abilities when I wrote that snapshot. As for a special for Valentine's Day, no. Just no. I don't see any point in the holiday, and I don't celebrate it. I'll do special chapters for Christmas and Halloween, but that'll be it. If you're interested in pairings though, I'm actually planning to pair Darius with Amara at some point in the future, but that'll probably be a long way off. I'm not gonna go much into relationships until the timeline reaches Eldest anyway. Also, I have no idea who the 'her' you're referring to is. I don't play Warcraft. I just researched enough so I could write a little about it when Cade and Darius were discussing it.**

**MoosHeadFamLit: They only burned down a **_**little **_**bit of Hogwarts. But still, yeah!**

**ArchAngel319: Again, thanks, and I'll always try to keep some comedy going through the story.**

**Blaze1992: He didn't go big in Alagaësia. I was just referencing Searching for Lost Gems.**

**chris: I've answered this question a **_**lot**_**. If you really want to know, go back and read what I wrote in previous responses, because I'm getting tired of writing out the same thing over and over again.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 17- I officially hate lakes.**

It had been a couple of weeks since 'The Hatchling Incident', and we'd progressed a long way towards Dras Leona. While it was a long way in a short time for Eragon and Brom, it was _painfully _slow going for Saphira, Amara and I. We probably could have flown around the world in the time that it took for the two humans to get to Leona Lake.

Nevertheless, we did eventually get there. The moon shone down on the expanse of water in a bright strip, glistening in the night as I descended towards it. Skimming low, over the lake, I looked down into the water. A three-headed dragon stared back.

I sighed, and banked towards the rocky shore where my companions were making camp. With all the opportunities that this new form gave me, I still missed my human body on occasion. Granted, if I had to choose between what I was now, and what I used to be, I'd pick being Ghidorah any day of the week. But still… I was getting homesick. Or bodysick. Probably both, really.

* * *

The next day, I was rudely awoken by Amara dragging me towards the lake by my tails. She had two of her heads on each of my limbs, and was yanking me towards the water as her free head watched on in amusement.

Grumpily, I dug my claws into the rocky shore, turned around to face her and demanded "_Stop it before I bite your heads off."_

"_Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed." _My cousin replied a little too happily before giving me an extra-hard tug.

I yowled in pain and reflexively flared electricity over my scales, making Amara yelp and let go as I snarled at her. And it wasn't a friendly, play-fight snarl either. It was a full-on, 'back off, or you won't come back alive' statement. Then I stomped away from the lake and back towards where I'd slept, meaning to doze for a while. Evidently, my cousin must have thought I was either acting or just messing around, since she didn't get the message.

When I felt the next yank, I spun around and let loose three roars that came from beyond hell, along with a loud "_FUCK__ OFF! I JUST WANTED TO FUCKING SLEEP! NOW I'M AWAKE AND I'M UTTERLY PISSED OFF!"_

Startled, Amara backed off, her heads down and whining like a dog that disappointed its owner. Growling at her, I turned away and started tearing through the forest, venting my rage by smashing through the wilderness amidst wild roars. I was mad. Partly because I was homesick, partly because of Amara, partly because it was a morning, and I just needed time to vent.

I swiped, blasted, smashed, bit, tore, shot, and ripped at everything that stood in my way. The various birds and animals ran as they saw me, squeaks, screeches and caws of terror filling the air along with the gunfire-like snapping and cracking of branches. I didn't care. All I could do was get my anger out of my system, and that was what I was trying to do. As the sun reached its peak, I stopped, panting at the effort I'd gone through.

"_I'm glad that you are on our side." _A voice said, making me turn towards the speaker.

Saphira picked her way toward me, jumping from fallen tree to a clear spot of ground.

I just growled and turned away. "_I'm not in the mood to talk."_

"_Are you in the mood to listen then?"_

"_No. Leave me alone."_

"_To sulk and destroy more trees? They truly are deadly opponents, are they not? You should be proud that you've felled so many of them."_

I turned a head towards her and risked a small smile. "_I never remembered you being so snarky before."_

"_I learned from the best." _Saphira said.

"_So Amara's passing on her talents then?" _I grumbled.

"_I meant you, you idiot."_ The blue dragoness said, her expression being one of 'are you seriously this stupid?'

"_Me?" _I asked, surprised. "_I very much doubt that."_

"_Until your cousin arrived, you were the only other dragon that I'd met." _Saphira pointed out. "_Where else would I learn what dragons are supposed to be like?"_

I laughed at that. "_Me, knowing how to be a proper dragon? If that's what you're looking for, I'm not the place to look for information."_

"_Why would that be?" _Saphira asked, cocking her head to the side. "_You are a dragon, albeit a strange one, like your cousin. Between us, she is a good friend, but I find her five heads to be rather unnerving."_

"_And what about my three?" _I asked curiously.

"_I have not decided yet."_

"_Seriously?" _I deadpanned. "_We've been travelling together for _months_, and you haven't made a decision, but you're around Amara for a few _weeks_ and you think that her extra heads thing is weird?"_

"_Her heads are all different colours and shapes!" _Saphira protested. "_It's strange!"_

"_But because mine are all the same that's fine?"_

"_Yes! I mean no! I mean- I give up."_

I chuckled at that. "_I'll let you off for now, but I've got to ask, why did you even follow me?"_

"_Because it was my idea to drag you into the lake, Amara just agreed to do the deed. I came to apologise and ask if you were alright."_

I dipped my heads. "_I'm homesick. That's all it is, I guess. Having Amara around helps, but still…"_

Saphira looked thoughtful for a moment, then asked _"Why is she here? You explained that you were exiled, but why has she also left your homeland?"_

I shrugged and lied "_You'd have to ask her."_

Saphira hummed as I took a last look around the end of my path of destruction.

I sighed. "_Go back to the others. Tell them that I'm going to be away for a while."_

"_And where will you be?" _Saphira said as she stretched her wings, preparing to take off. By now, she was used to me disappearing for a few days at a time, but she'd never found out where I'd been going.

"_I'll be finding myself again in the place between places." _I said cryptically, knowing that only Amara would get it. "_I'll see you guys again when I don't feel so down."_

"_Very well." _Saphira said, taking off with a gust of wind. "_I hope that you feel more like yourself soon."_

"_Thanks." _I replied, waiting before Saphira was out of my line of sight before I took my key out of my bag of stuff and used it, creating a vortex to Locostral.

* * *

**Snapshot #1C**

The Forbidden Forest was dark and gloomy, apart from the ever-present glow of Darius. The three of us had barely evaded the wizards that had come down towards the Quidditch Pitch, and were were waiting for the cover of night before we explored further.

"Do you think we should call it quits?" Darius asked.

"_Not yet." _I decided. "_We've only been here for a few hours, and in that time, we've-"_

"We've burnt down a Quidditch Pitch." Amara chuckled.

"_Yep." _I finished.

"Um, guys…" Darius started.

Amara cut him off with "Well, what else _can _we do? We can't exactly do human stuff anymore."

"Guys?" Darius squeaked.

I ignored him and thought about the problem.

"Guys!" Darius shouted.

"_WH_AT?" Amara and I shouted back.

Darius just trembled and pointed upwards… where hundreds of gigantic spiders were descending towards us!

"_FUCK__ING RUN!" _I shouted, bolting past my two friends and into the darkness.


	18. Chapter X- Clash of the Titans

**Authors' notes:**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- The basis of this chapter is a collab with Regal EagIe, and Daniel Clausen (who is writing Trial By God) also had some input to keep his character Felix (Godzilla) in canon. Wanna say hi, guys?**

**Daniel- Hello, everyone.**

**Regal Eagle- Heya guys, we really hope you'll like this, it took us three days just to write it in 3rd person point of view… And we're not counting about writing it with our character's point of view.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- Yup, but it was cool to do. **

**Regal Eagle- It totally degenerated tho… We planned to do something that would have a regular chapter length, something like 3k words, 4k at best… We tripled that objective.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- Yep… And editing it was a nightmare, AND THEN I have to make it first person… I'm not gonna have much time left this weekend. Anyway, enjoy everyone! **

**Regal Eagle- We'll leave you with our review responses then you can enjoy this product of both our imagination!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
****Blaze1992: They're dragons in body, but still teenagers in mind. And who wouldn't run from gigantic spiders?  
****Wizzer96: Yep, Trial By God is part of the Plainswalker multiverse. As for having Darius' sister, I have reconsidered, and I don't think that would work… Wouldn't their parents become **_**super**_** protective after losing Darius? I'm not sure… PM me, I guess.  
****Slayer of The Abyss: Why am I censoring swear words? Because I don't like writing them, but I'm including them for realism. Therefore, censorship.  
**(Polished Edition includes the swear words from the consensus of the Discord server.)  
**chris: Thanks dude. What realm will Cade go to after the Inheritance Cycle? Well, Plainswalkers don't abandon their realms after their stories are finished. They have to remain there to keep watch for Shadows.  
****Man4God: Happy Birthday for the 11th, dude! I hope you enjoy this!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter X: Clash of the Titans**

It was a couple of days since I'd ditched everyone and returned to Locostral, but I wasn't really enjoying my break. I'd flown out to one of the beaches on my first day, and had tried to relax, but that wasn't working. My thoughts were too active, whirling around my heads, making it impossible to unwind.

The second day, I'd met up with Spanners and asked whether I could help her out with anything. Surprisingly, my presence was _required_ for a project that she was doing. I wasn't sure if that was relieving or concerning, but the project itself was pretty interesting. After she'd given me the infiltration bot, that I could control through a headset and a multiform, Spanners had started work on robots that could take commands directly from a headset, and relay back sensory data to the headset's wearer. To me, the concept was kinda like how a pilot was connected to a Jaeger, and already existed, but Spanners insisted that what she was developing was different.

The life-size car that I was trundling around her workshop drove rather smoothly, considering that I had never driven anything before in my life. It being an automatic helped me a lot, and the system was pretty responsive, although only sight and sound were relayed, so having my heightened sense of smell being cut off was really unnerving.

Still, Spanners thanked me for my help and input, but as I left, she said "Hold up, something's wrong with you."

"_How did you know?" _I asked, turning in the doorway of the aircraft hangar that was Spanner's workshop.

"If you've kicked around this city for as long as I have, then you see the same expression in everyone as they settle in." The quartermaster said. "It's in your eyes now, all six of them. You're not happy with how your afterlife is turning out, and you're struggling to cope. You can either talk to someone about your problems, or you're probably going to be unhappy for the rest of your immortal life."

"_Are you offering to talk?" _

"God, no. I have more important things to do now you've tested the Think-Send system for me. I've heard that the Thunderbird that joined your clan the other day is in town. Go talk to him about it. Now get out. I've got things to build."

With that, I was booted out of Spanner's workshop and left to wander around the city, looking for Regal. I hadn't really talked with him much since he'd arrived, but he seemed like a good guy. Although it wasn't a Gathering today, there were still quite a few people in town. Plainswalkers milled around in groups of three or four, talking or laughing with each other while I was still homesick and bodysick. Locostral helped with the homesickness, but as for the bodysickness, I had no cure.

Sighing, I eventually wandered into a large café that overlooked a lake. Ducks swam over the sparkling blue water, as well as a few coils of scales which might have been Paddles, or some other sea serpent. It was hard to tell.

Someone called out "Heya Cade! What are you doing here?"

Turning, I saw Regal waving a wing around to attract my attention, and I plodded over towards him before doing my best to take a 'seat' at his table. I wasn't really built for sitting, but I could do something that was the midway between that and squatting.

"_Hi Regal." _I mumbled._ "I'm kinda down at the moment, and I heard you were in town, so I thought we could talk or something._"

Regal raised whatever his eyebrow equivalent was. "Oh? What happened?"

I sighed again. "_I'm homesick. Bodysick too. And Amara ****ed me off, so I needed to get away for a while._"

Regal's eyes widened. "Oh, I see… I haven't really been homesick to be honest. Yes, I know I won't see my family or friend again, but… I don't really know why, but I feel like I wasn't that close to them. I guess that's because I wasn't really sure what I would do in my life before… Now I know what I want to do, and I'm enjoying it. As for being bodysick, I mostly complain about the beak and the absence of hands, but the ability to fly balances that out."

I sighed from all three heads and groaned. "_I miss having proper arms. I still have hands, but it feels weird to walk around on them. It's like I'm a toddler again. And I miss my voice. My proper voice, not this ESP shit."_

Regal chuckled, which didn't really help my state of mind. "Hey, you got lucky. At least you can manipulate things with your hands, I've got to hop or stand on one leg if I want to pick up something that I can't with my beak, although I have mostly adapted to this. Though I'm sure that someday I'll ask that a quartermaster make me robotic hands that I can strap to myself, I'm fine with how I am currently. How long has it been since your transformation, by the way?"

I clicked one of my tongues as I did the math. "_About six and a half months. I got turned into this in July last year."_

"Hmmm, I've only been like this for a month and a half, but I think there is a difference between you and me. Did you often imagine how it would feel if you were in a different body shape back on Earth?"

All three of my heads looked thoughtfully at the ceiling. "_I had some fantasies about being a Halo Spartan II. Faster, stronger, tougher, things like that, but I never imagined it actually happening… Thinking about it, I wonder if we do have a Spartan here."_

Turning, I ordered a chocolate milkshake, then realised that a full-sized Godzilla was glaring at me from the other side of the cafe, drinking out of a water tower-sized mug. I tensed up and scowled, my hackles rising as an indescribable anger started to rise from deep within me.

"_How long has he been staring at me?" _I asked, trying to keep my voice level.

Regal followed my gaze and chuckled "Probably since you sat next to me. I didn't really pay attention. Contrary to you, I only have one set of eyes, and although I can see much more sharply than before, it's still 2 pairs less than you have. But back to our topic at hand- the difference between us. You got thrusted into a body with absolutely no experience at all-"

Annoyed, I interrupted, waving a wing around for emphasis. "_I watched the movie! There was loads of lightning and shit! And a massive hurricane! And an Alpha Call thing!"_

Regal waves a wing in a 'perhaps' gesture. "I didn't say that you don't know your abilities, but I meant how much time have you imagined what it would _feel_ to _BE_ Ghidorah? I've spent almost all my time in my last three years or more imagining what it would feel to be an eagle, to have wings instead of arms, your mouth replaced by a beak, deadly talons instead of feet, and a tail that would help you steer in the air. How would the wind feel with feathers instead of skin, seeing the world much more sharply that you could, even defying gravity and flying! I went from imagining an eagle to imagining a thunderbird, because it's basically the same but you add two pairs of wings and trade the tail feathers for two long, streaming tails. So when I woke up one month earlier, I already had an idea of what to expect, and my imagination was pretty spot on, but the reality is so much more exhilarating. So, how many times have you spent picturing yourself as Ghidorah?"

Thinking about it, I remembered "_Like… maybe once after I watched the movie. I'm not saying that I'm unhappy with what I got, because flying is _awesome_, but… it's just not fully me, y'know? Is that guy still staring at me?"_

Regal peeked around my head to check on Godzilla. "Yup. I'm not sure what's up with him, but I guess that's just his instincts egging him on. You're probably going through the same thing, but… just don't blast him before we're out. Unless he blasts you first, that is."

I growled softly. Regal was right, but I didn't care as my anger rose, overriding my reasoning. "_I'm not gonna blast him… yet. And if it comes to that, I won't just blast him. I'll break him apart._"

Regal ignored my comment. "And I understand about you not being you… I'll confide with you, I wasn't really feeling myself as a human. I always longed for the sky, but not by using machines or wingsuits, just by using my own body. I guess that I already was a Thunderbird at my core. Being a human is great, but it's boring after a while. Everybody is the same species as you, it's just… nobody is _truly_ different from each other. I guess that comes with the fact we're the only sentient species on our planet. So that's why I don't feel as bodysick as you- I was already bored of my humanity I guess. Just hold on, I'm sure that in a couple of years you'll totally get used to your new body. Don't focus on the drawbacks, but on the benefits of your new form. After all, we all died, and as a famous bearded wizard said, 'death is just the start of a new adventure!'"

I groaned. "_You're bringing quotes into this? Really? Dumbledore too?"_

Regal scowled. "Hey! I always had lots of difficulties to uses quotes, still have, let me have my moment of inspiration… Golden lizard."

Was that the best he could do? I snorted. "_Magic turkey."_

"Apocalyptic wyvern."

"_Honestly, I see that as a compliment. It's factually correct on both fronts."_

The thunderbird sighed. "I'm trying to stay playful, and not actually insulting you. It's kinda hard with your profile… And 'bird brain' will get old fast for me, so don't bother using it."

I chuckled. "_Meh. I do stuff like this a lot with Jacob. You ain't got nothing on the zingers he comes up with_."

Regal does the best shrugging motion he can, which wasn't much more than a flap of his wings. "I never have been the best for humour, I'll admit. I'm doing what I can…"

I looked over my shoulder with my left head and saw Godzilla was still glaring at me. I growled again. "_That guy is _still _glaring at me! What the fuck is his problem?"_

Regal began to shift nervously in his seat as my growling started to grow in volume. "Hmmm, not sure how prominent your instincts are for you, but I could really feel them when I learned how to fly. They aren't as insistent as before, though they still nag at me sometimes. I guess the fact he's Godzilla means he's an Alpha, but, so are you, so he maybe sees you as a threat to his leadership..."

My tails started to angrily thrash around. "_Fuck__ his leadership. I'm the Alpha guy here. I'll easily take him."_

Regal gulps. "I think we should leave before it comes to blows…"

I made a big effort to calm down, closing my eyes and taking in long, deep breaths, pushing my anger down. "_No. We'll finish when we want to, and then we'll go. Not before. I don't want him thinking he... unsettles me. Which he does, but don't tell him that, or I'll lock you up in a big cage and hang you from the ceiling in my room."_

Regal shakes his head, then took a sip of his drink. My three noses said that it was a vanilla hot chocolate, and from the smell alone, I was tempted to try and steal a sip.

The golden bird said "If you say so… Where are you in your own realm by the way? If I understood right, you're kinda in the same situation as me, as you're with the main cast?"

I nodded happily. "_Yep. I'm with Captain Splashy, Gandalf, and the jelly-bean hoarding Smaug. Or Eragon, Brom and Saphira if you want to be a normal person."_

Regal snorted, barely stopping from spewing his drink all over the floor. Gulping it down, he said "Yeah, I see what you did there… and I heard about that… incident. You're just after Teirm in the timeline, right? I'm pretty familiar with the story, and I've read the books several times… What do you plan to do with Brom? I'll try to avoid one death or two in my realm, but for you it's much more complicated. Brom's death is really important for the story, since it spurs Eragon on… There aren't that many deaths in my realm anyways."

I groaned and plopped my heads down on the table with a loud thud, almost spilling our drinks. _"I… I'm gonna break at some point with this job. I had to let Garrow die, and I'm still beating myself up about that, and I'll have to let Brom die too… Maybe I can tell him what will happen before he passes on. Just so he knows that his death isn't in vain. Those people that make the sacrifice so that others can still live, they never know whether their sacrifice is in vain or not. Confirmation that his death will lead to the downfall of Galbatorix… I'll give him that. He deserves to know. He doesn't have long left though… we're almost at Dras Leona, and his clock's ticking."_

Regal sighed. "That's the hardest part of our job- without contest. We know what the future is for the realms, some of us have the ability to even go to the end and kill the villain without all the struggle, too. But in the end it's always a bad idea, because we'll mess up the timeline so much that the worlds can quickly degenerate to chaos.

Imagine that you or me manage to kill Galbatorix right now. We _could_ do it. I could, for example make a giant railgun in the clouds pointed directly towards the king, and fire it with a tank shell. Or I could just create the mother of all lightning bolts that would drain all his energy and kill him. It would be hard, but possible. But it's a very bad idea, because first, I'm not sure if the captured Eldunari he has would survive the strain to power up his wards, so they could all shatter and we would find ourselves only with those from Doru Arabea. And secondly, it would cause chaos, the chain of command would be so destroyed, and an uncontrolled civil war would spring up, causing much more death than if the events stayed on course, and it would be a pain to decide who would take his place.

So no, we can't have shortcuts, because that would create ripples and make the situation worse than what we started with. People like Gem have it so much easier than us. They just content themselves to watch without interacting, but we have kinda been forced to stay near the main characters, your situation being even worse than mine. I can try to act from the sidelines, you'll have to stay for the action without being able to fade out."

I groaned, reminded of my promise to Umaroth. "_And I'm bound by an unbreakable oath to protect Eragon and Saphira at all costs... At least that gives me the excuse to be by their side at all times, making sure that things keep on track. Although after Brom dies, I'll try to save as many people as possible."_

Regal frowned. "Hmm, Brom is one thing, but Ajihad and Murtagh are another… Nasuada is the one that starts the war against the Empire by getting out of Farthen Dûr… And Murtagh is kind of a mixed bag… He really helps against Galbatorix by knowing the Name and using it against the Black King, but he really doesn't help in the battle of the Burning Plains. It's complicated. The main issue is that both their fates are tied."

"_I know. Ajihad… I might have to let him go. Murtagh on the other hand… I might have to talk to him about it after the battle of Farthen Dûr. I need him where he is, partly to get the Name, partly for Thorn's sake, and partly to help Nasuada when she's captured. However, I could save him a lot of pain. But then Thorn wouldn't hatch. Maybe I'll just abduct them after the Burning Plains. Perhaps before… I'm not sure if Hrothgar's death influences things much, so I could save him."_

Regal looked over his plumage and shuffled a few feathers back into their proper place. "Well, the main thing about Hrothgar is that him living would avoid the election of a new Dwarf King, which is a like a third of Brisingr's book, and it also keeps the Dwarf army in reserve for the battles of Feinster and Belatona. But the issue lies more in the post-Galbatorix era, as he would refuse to allow the Dwarves to become Dragon Riders. Orik would- and does. And about Oromis and Islanzadi…"

I nodded from all three heads. "_I'm saving them if I can. Glaedr too. Hell, I'll even go to fight in the place of Oromis and his companion. I can regenerate. They can't. Islanzadi died against... Barst I think, so I could zap him and then go for Galbatorix. I can take out Shruikan when he flies out to scare the Varden, which will **** off Galby, and make the final battle easier."_

Regal thought about the repercussions. "Yeah, Islanzadi means that Arya could help Eragon rebuild the Riders,-"

"_And maybe make out." _I added in.

Regal ignored my comment. "-and Oromis and Glaedr could retake their roles as teachers, so it would be all benefits… As for me, I just have two deaths that I can stop, since it wouldn't change the timeline a lot. Fairy Tail is fairly tame death wise compared to Eragon." He sighs "Though my main issue will be that in order to keep the ripples to a minimum, I'll have to leave my realm for seven years in like… six months. Not sure what I'll do in the meantime, but I guess I'll try to develop my abilities in another realm… Probably get some advice from natural born Thunderbirds too. But that won't matter before some time, so I'm fine."

I drained my milkshake and stood up, licking my lips. "_Well that was illuminating. Wanna go play some videogames?"_

Regal nodded happily. "Yep! That sounds like a great idea, what do you have in mind?"

I started walking towards the door. "_I dunno. Maybe something strategy-based?"_

Regal drained his drink and stood up. "Okay, I'm warning you, I was a very good player of RTS games, practically pro level, so do not be surprised if I totally wreck you."

I smirked. Strategy was what I was good at too. And I'd make it harder for him, too. "_Oh, I'm going to bring backup. All of you, against all of me. How can you possibly hope to stop me?"_

Regal groaned. "I see what you did there- Ultron quote. And I'm not sure that you have more computing power with two more brains."

I gave him an incredibly cheesy line that I made up on the spot. "_Three brains, two more minds, one victory."_

"You don't seem to have a proficiency for multitasking, and you totally don't have a personality disorder, so excuse me if I'm sceptical."

I just grinned, looking over my shoulder at Regal as I waited for him to catch up. "_Be sceptic all you want, I'm gonna-_"

I was interrupted by someone bumping into me- hard. Turning around, I saw Godzilla doing the same, and the uncontrollable anger I had earlier surges back up. Both of our eyes narrow.

Regal freezes on the spot as he saw what happened, and said in a small voice "...Please no."

My rage building, I squared up to the larger kaiju, standing upright and raising my heads to be on the same level as Godzilla.

I growl out "_What do you want, Beam Breath?_"

The kaiju replies "I could ask you the same, Three Face. You bumped me."

I snarled, my senses focusing on Godzilla. "You _bumped _me, _jackass! Watch where you're going!"_

At the edge of my awareness, Regal faintly said "Cade! It's not worth it, let's go!"

I don't take his eyes off my opponent as I start to glow and get bigger, enlarging to my full size. "_Stay out of this Regal. This is between me and the Kid of the Monsters."_

Godzilla was a little unnerved by this abrupt change in sizes, but he replied "Is that the best you can come up with? I wonder, did your IQ _lower _with more heads, because it certainly looks that way. My name's Felix, Dickfaces. Use it."

I almost didn't catch Regal saying "Cade, last warning before I do something drastic."

I was utterly focused on Felix, and didn't bother to reply as I reached full size. I had to bend over a little to still fit in the room, which just made me more intimidating. "_Last chance Geckozilla, fuck off."_

Felix's spines start to glow blue. "There's not a chance in hell of that happening. Now apologise for bumping me and fly away to your little hole."

I heard a faint clicking, but it was soon drowned out by my incandescent anger. It was burning, raging, consuming. Nothing else was important except for what my opponent. I would tear him apart. I would rip him in two. I would prove myself as the stronger. I WOULD BE ALPHA!

I suddenly felt something brush against my back I started flaring golden arcs of electricity around me. Suddenly, my world flashed a bluish-yellow, and I was stood in front of the door into Mount Bluepeak. Turning my three heads around, I saw Regal panting on my back.

I triple-roared, right in his face "_I TOLD YOU TO STAY OUT OF IT!" _before I grabbed Regal in one of my mouths, deposited him in front of the door, and started beating my giant, golden wings. As I rose above the surrounding skyscrapers, I screeched a triple battle cry of death and destruction. My cry is answered from across the city, where a glowing blue aura fills the air. The challenger. He would be destroyed! Sirens began to scream in a crescendo of noise as I began to charge up, lightning flickering over me as storm clouds started to fill the sky, thunder clapping and booming in the distance.

The challenger roared in fury as he saw my dive out of the sky, and fired his atomic breath at me. I corkscrewed around the blast and returned fire with three beams of lightning. They struck Felix, distracting him so I could slam into him with my clawed feet, knocking him to the floor through a few skyscrapers. Glass tinkled to the ground, but the sound was lost within the screech of bending metal and a shockwave that shook the whole island. I landed further down the street, turned around, and roared three cries that came from beyond hell.

Felix pushed himself back to his feet amidst a cloud of dust and shook his head to clear it. I didn't give him the luxury of having time to come to his senses. I charged, running on all fours, firing three sparking, golden beams at him. The first bolt of lightning speared from the clouds as we collided. Felix was knocked backward by the force I was exerting on him. However, he kept on his feet, clawing and biting at me. I purely went for bites, aiming at Felix's neck.

Suddenly, an ear-splitting screech was unleashed from somewhere as well as a _massive_ lightning bolt which blasted between me and Felix. The sheer force knocked us both back a few steps, but I managed to absorb some of the energy that had been spread through the ground.

Someone started yelling at us as loudly as possible. "ARE THE TWO OF YOU COMPLETE PEABRAINS OR WHAT? YOU ARE IN THE FUCKING MIDDLE OF LOCOSTRAL AND ARE SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE WHO AREN'T ABLE TO SURVIVE A FIGHT BETWEEN THE BOTH OF YOU. EITHER SOLVE YOUR ISSUES PEACEFULLY OR GO FIGHT IN AN AREA WHERE NOBODY ELSE WILL BE AFFECTED!"

I tuned out of the rant at that point, charging up for a massive onslaught as one of my heads glares up at the speaker- a tiny gold speck in the sky. I would not let it interfere. I sent out a mental attack with the force of a wrecking ball smashing into a flea to everyone in the surrounding area. Felix used the opportunity of me being semi-distracted and fired his atomic breath at me. I returned fire with my Gravity Beams, and the two attacks struck each other in the middle of the distance between us, achieving beam-lock. Unlike regularly, it is clear to see that my beams aren't just lightning. Pieces of rubble are being pushed towards Felix, with the challenger having to walk in place to keep up with my barrage of beams.

Realising this, I… I? No, not I. We. That was right. Anyway, we re-evaluated the battlefield we were in. Skyscrapers were crumbling around us, debris falling to the ground or getting pulled into the fields of gravity generated by my golden beams. Behind our challenger, at the end of the road is a simple railing, and beyond that, clear sky. We can fly. Our challenger cannot. This is one of the edges of the island, and we are going to push him off it!

Whirling round, we smack our club-like tails into the face of our challenger, sending his beam flying askew. Both of our energy attacks cut off as he staggers backwards, but then we fire again. This time, our beams strike Felix in the side. Instead of zapping him, they fluctuate around his form, lifting him off the ground. He roars in outrage, and then blasts our left head into sludge as he is pushed backwards through the air, making us drop him with an almighty crash.

As we seethe in pain, waiting for one of us to reform, someone shouts our name. "CADE! THAT IS NOT YOU! STOP THIS BEFORE YOU BLAME YOURSELF FOREVER FOR KILLING ONE OF YOUR COMRADES!"

Something landed on our middle head, pecking on it. Our left head quickly regenerates, rapidly forming a cocoon that which bursts as it re-appears and re-joins the fight. Anger surges at the thing that dares to interrupt our battle.

We find its mind and surge into it, our voices full of scorching pain and anger, as we briefly lock up all of its limbs before releasing him. _"WE ARE ALPHA! KILL CHALLENGER! KILL HEADKILLER! KILL! WE ARE ALPHA! WE ARE KING! CHALLENGERS MUST DIE!"_

The speck that dares attack us barely manages to get his body back under control before crashing, and flies away as the storm intensifies. Once again, we charge at our opponent, going for him, no holds barred. Blood spurting from the wounds we tear in each other, falling to the ground in a sticky, crimson rain. We were easier to hurt, but due to our rapid healing, there wasn't much to show for it apart from burns from our challenger's atomic breath. Felix was much harder to hurt, but he did sport bleeding marks from our bites, and seemed a little unsteady on his feet because of the electricity we had pumped into him.

As we battled on, thunder boomed in the background, and lightning started to spear down onto the skyscrapers. Dark clouds threaten to open up and drop a downpour of rain on the city as small fires start in the wreckage of buildings. The wind rose from a breeze to a howl, to a roar, whipping at everything in its way and shredding it. In the distance, supercells swirled into being, spawning tornadoes that began to consume the city. They ploughed through skyscrapers and parks as we ploughed into our challenger, the radiation he was emitting giving us the strength we needed to fight on.

Out of the maelstrom burst a giant, grey spaceship. We knew it instantly, but it was only a replica of the real thing. It was also modified for combat within the atmosphere, sporting a lot more guns on it, but it was still impressive, lightning flickering around it as it fully emerged from Slipspace, MAC cannons at the ready.

A metallic voice flowed from hidden speakers as Felix and we fought on. "Attention Plainswalkers Felix and Cade. This is Elder Ragnar, Captain of the UNSC Infinity. Stand down, or we will deploy our mecha squadron to your position and regard you as hostile."

At the same time, both of us fired our beam the ship. They all impacted on the ship's shields, but did nothing else.

Ragnar said "...Roger that. All units, prepare to engage! Targets are Godzilla and Ghidorah! Subdue, but do NOT kill, it looks very bad on my report when we kill our own!"

Large blast doors opened under the belly of the ship, retracting into place with a bang. Five mechs dropped out, all of them massive. And spurting quotes.

A deep, male voice boomed "Omega Supreme: Activated. Power: Optimal. Mission: Subdue Plainswalkers."

A lighter, female one followed up with "Gipsy Danger, ready for the big drop! Neural handshake strong and holding!"

Five synchronized voices, both male and female yelled "Activate interlock! Dynatherms connected! Infracells up! Mega-thrusters are go! Let's go, Voltron force!"

A second team of five had barely finished shouting "Megazord battle mode activated!", but they were cut off by a metallic roar that drove us to new heights of fury.

"Mazers ready. Absolute Zero Cannon charged. Mechagodzilla 3, ready for battle!" So this was Ragnar. This was another challenger.

Both us and Felix roared in outrage, and we looked from the kaiju facing us to the new arrivals. Who to go for- our first challenger, or the second? While Felix was glancing at the advancing mechas, snarling at them to back off, we made a decision and struck. Our heads darted forward, the outer ones grabbing Felix around the wrists, and the centre one striking around his neck. Felix roared and tried to kick us off, but that just made him easier for us to manhandle him.

The robots were charging into battle now, launching missiles and firing various beam weapons at us, trying to draw our attention from dragging Felix towards the edge of the floating island. We didn't care. They did not hurt us, and we had bigger things to take care of.

The one called Gipsy Danger got within punching range of us and activated her Elbow Rocket, but she was swatted to the side by one of our tails as we slowly, but surely pushed Felix back. Our throats started to flicker red, little flashes of crimson light flowing down them, towards our stomach. We was draining Felix's energy, and powering ourselves up at the same time.

Seeing this, the five giant robots focused their attacks on us. Omega Supreme fired a massive laser that hit us in the back with enough power to burn through our scales and into our internal organs, making us drop Felix, roar in pain, and whirl around, smoking. Our back stitched itself up, and our bones and organs started to follow suit as we placed a clawed foot on the downed Felix,

Spreading out our wings, we screamed a wild, primal cry. It was a savage call to arms, a claim of dominance, an Alpha Call. The mechs were not affected by our call, but across the city, numerous responses came, most being roars of challenge, but some being scared cries of submission. The challengers would all die, and the submitters would be ours to do as we liked with.

Ragnar said "He's calling for backup! Let's end this before anyone else gets injured!"

Voltron, Gipsy, and the Megazord unsheathed swords and ran at us, with Omega Supreme and Ragnar charging up their respective lasers and masers. The three sword-wielding bots all tried to take Thanos' advice into account and go for our heads, and managed to cut one of them off. We screamed in agony and lurched backwards, allowing Felix to get back up and fire off his Atomic Breath at us. Dick move, Felix!

As Omega fired at us, we ducked the blast and returned fire from our two remaining heads. Ragnar shot his Oral Masers at Felix, drawing his attention from us so we could retreat and then strike back. Felix turned to the smallest Mecha and his eyes widened, then narrowed as he recognised his opponent and the danger he was in. Ragnar spread his arms, and three panels in his chest opened, revealing the Absolute Zero Cannon.

Felix roared and opened fire with his Atomic Breath, trying to destroy the weapon before it could fire. Ragnar calmly fired his Oral Masers, achieving Beam Lock with our challenger as the AZC began to charge up.

In the meantime, we had been dealing with the four other mechas. Our decapitated head had already regrown, and we were busy in Beam Lock with Omega Supreme's laser as our other two heads fired at the Megazord and Voltron while we used our claws to rip off Gipsy's arm and smash the Jaeger with it. It was complete and utter carnage, and we were the kings of it.

With Gipsy clutching the sparking remains of her shoulder and retreating, we had the opportunity to focus on the three other giant robots that were engaging us. Voltron was too agile for us to catch, and Omega was wisely keeping his distance, which left the Megazord for us to destroy. It was slower than its two counterparts, but had heavier armour, which allowed it to take more of a beating.

And it took one heck of an impact as we suddenly switched all three of our heads to fire at Omega, breaking the Beam Lock. Then we quickly slashed at Voltron with our claws, and swiftly spun on the spot, slamming our two mace-like tails into the large, clunky Megazord.

Voltron managed to dodge the attack, backflipping out of the way with its thrusters firing, and Omega was only knocked a few steps backwards, but the Megazord was hit hard, its armour being severely dented by the impact, as well as punctured by our tail spikes. Backing off, it clutched it's new wound that was leaking some kind of green liquid and a white gas, and threw one last punch at one of our three heads before picking up Gipsy's arm and retreating in the direction that she had.

Meanwhile, Felix had narrowly dodged Ragnar's AZC blast, leaving crystals of ice clutching to his dorsal spines. Their Beam Lock had been won by the Kaiju, forcing Ragnar back, but it wasn't a total victory. While Felix tried to recover some of his energy, Ragnar fired the full contents of his blue, rocket-launching backpack, quickly followed by the pack itself. Felix was knocked backwards, but didn't show any external injuries from the impacts as he turned back towards the mecha who was only half his size and roared in challenge.

This roar was answered by our three screeches of hatred, and a single burning, golden beam, knocking Felix to the side and halfway through a skyscraper. Turning, he saw us, two of our heads holding up Voltron by the arms and draining the energy from its five reactors, making the giant robot go limp. Dropping the powerless hunk of metal, we charged the radioactive monster, taking to the sky halfway through the charge.

Felix fired his atomic breath, but it was countered by our gravity beams, which held a slight red tint to them. The beams collided with each other and locked, but Felix's attack was quickly overpowered by our souped up gravity beams, which slammed into our challenger and sending him sprawling towards the edge of the city. The winds picked up as we let loose a cry of victory, then let loose with our gravity beams, picking up the stunned Felix and raising him out, over the drop as lightning flashed in the clouds.

Then our Gravity Beams cut out, and all was still for a brief moment. The wind slowed, the thunder and lightning held off for a brief second, and Felix seemed to hang in the air. Then the inevitability of physics made itself known, and Felix began to fall with a cry of panic.

As we rose and spread his wings, we threw back our three heads in victory and let loose a jubilant cry. We had won! We were Alpha!

Suddenly, we were blasted in the back by an immeasurable cold. We seized up, our cry of victory choking off as we froze, ice spreading over our body as Ragnar's Absolute Zero Cannon powered down. At the same time, Omega Supreme transformed into his spaceship mode, rocketed over the side of the city, and down though the clouds to catch Felix.

Ragnar collapsed to one knee, venting heavily, but we couldn't hear it. Unlike the effect from his lookalike's weapon, we weren't frozen solid, but the tons of ice coating us kept us him confined and unable to break free as our brains were put into a pseudo-cryosleep. We could still see and hear what was going on outside of our icy prison, but we were unable to process what it meant.

The Elder declared, "Targets are neutralised, and the storm is dying out. Everyone can come out now, but keep away from any broken buildings- they may be structurally unstable. And who was the person that decided keeping Godzilla and King Ghidorah on the same sky island was a good idea, because we really need to talk about how _goddamn stupid _that was."

Regal swooped down, alighting next to the Mech, trying to explain the events. "I didn't plan for Cade to join me at the cafe, and I hadn't noticed Godzilla- Felix that is, until he noticed him himself… We talked a bit, then just as we were getting out, they bumped into each other, sparking an argument. I tried to relocate Cade soon after, but the challenge had already started… Then you just saw the rest, Elder."

Ragnar growled. "Saw it? They literally broke everything in this sector of the city apart from the fourth wall! Damn, now I've done it…"

Regal shook his head. "It was bound to happen one day or another though… and I guess Cade's instincts really overwhelmed him- he's not like this usually. If they ever get within one hundred feet of each other again, and I'm nearby, I'll try to relocate Cade as far as possible, even though it exhausts me to do so."

Ragnar holds up a metal claw in a 'wait a moment' gesture, then put it to where his ear would be if he was still human. "Damage report? You can freaking see the damage, Aegis! Were there any casualties? ...Oh, good. Well, slight to severe radiation poisoning and several hundred injuries isn't great, but at least nobody died. ...Yeah, I know, we need to stop having so many powerful guys here. ...No, I don't have a solution yet. I'll let you know when I think of something. ...Yeah, I need a medic team down here. And half a dozen mechanics too. Gipsy's lost an arm, Voltron's out of power, Meggy is leaking hydraulic fluid all over the place, and I've only got around 20% battery left in my tank. ...Okay, thanks. I'll see you later then. ...Okay. ...Yeah, the _Infinity _is gonna dock at the spaceport. …Yes, we were on our way back anyway. The asteroid belt was a cool trip and we got a lot of metals from mining it. Have a docking bay prepped for us, and tell GLaDOS she can set the ship down. ...Roger that, over and out."

Regal said "I would offer to refill your batteries, but I'm all out too. I forced Cade to ride a lightning bolt for 2 kilometers and struck down a 10-foot wide bolt between the two. The small number of bolts I've managed to snag only made me able to stay above Cade so that I could counter him if he tried to call down lightning on you."

Ragnar stood back up to full height and shook his head. "Hey, don't worry about it. The _Infinity _can transfer charge to me the same way the White Herons that carried Kiryu into battle do. I'll be fine once I get back on board, but first, we'll need to get your friend to some kind of medbay big enough to accommodate him. The other dude too."

Gem landed beside the two along with Jacob and Darius and looked at us through the walls of our freezing cage.

"Oh Cade, what have you done…?" she said, trying not to tear up.

That was the last thing we heard before the intense cold fully shut us down, forcing us into a deep, deep, sleep.

* * *

We woke to a massive headache. It pounded inside our skulls like nukes were going off at point blank range to our ears, and we whimpered at the pain. Our entire body _hurt_. It burned like we'd taken a bath in Seithr oil- not an experience we wanted to repeat. Eventually, it receded to a low buzzing, and we blearily, opened our eyes and look around. We seem to be in a large blue dome of energy which is producing the fizzing noise. Four obelisk-like structures surround it, providing energy to the shield. Weird. We're pretty sure that this isn't our room.

Then we try to get up, but we flop to the side, as our limbs haven't woken up yet. Our heads continue their search for how the hell we got here as we get back up, and we spotted Gem, Regal and Elder Ragnar. Wait a second. How did we know him again?

Focusing at Gem, we sleepily asked, _"We haven't... missed anything… have we?"_

Gem frowned. "Err, say again Cade?"

We yawned. "_We said, we haven't missed anything, have we? No Shadow attacks or anything?"_

Ragnar whispered something to Regal that we couldn't make out. Regal's reply was also to faint for us to hear.

Gem continued talking though. "Cade, you've been out for a couple of days. How are you feeling?"

We groaned. "_Not great. We feel like we've been burnt, sledgehammered, crushed and drained of energy, then baked, frozen and microwaved._"

Ragnar asked "And do you remember why you're here?"

We frowned as we looked back through our memory. "_Not… really. We remember up until we finished our drinks in the cafe, and everything after that seems to be sorting itself out. It's getting clearer, but slowly."_

Regal shook his head. "This will be a pain to wait until you get your memories back…" He turned towards Ragnar and asked, "Do we wait or do we start to explain now?"

Ragnar decided "Start with his sudden desire to say 'we' instead of 'I'. That'll give him time to process what he did in the background while we occupy his attention."

Regal nodded. "Cade, you never referred to yourself as 'we' before, but only to the single person, what changed?"

We were confused. _"Wait, what do you mean? We've been saying 'we', not 'we'..." _Oh. God. We shouldn't be a we, but we were… We were divided! We weren't one! Each of our heads start looking at each other in panic.

Splitting from a singular 'we' to three 'I's, our middle head said in shock "_What the fuck? The actual fuck?"_

Our right head jerked as far back as it can from the other two. "_OH GOD! STAY AWAY FROM ME! GET OUT OF ME!"_

Our left head had a completely different reaction. "_OH MY GOD! THIS IS TERRIFYINGLY COOL!"_

Regal blinked "... Okay, that's new."

Gem seemed lost, but tried to help. "Cade! Cades? Okay, this is weird. Um… all three of you, calm down!"

All three of us screamed at her "_HOW THE FUCK DO YOU EXPECT US TO CALM DOWN! THIS IS-"_

Then each of us come up with a different ending.

"_AWESOME!" _Left decided.

Right yelled "_FUCK__ING AWFUL! THERE'S TWO OTHER PEOPLE INSIDE ME WHO ARE ALSO ME!"_

Middle followed Right's example and shrieked "_ABSOLUTELY TERRIFYING!"_

Regal rubs his head with a wing. "I'm gonna have a headache if you all talk at the same time… Okay, stop right now, we need to clear that. Just… breathe."

All three of us close our eyes, and we take a few seconds to recollect ourselves.

Left commented "_Y'know, this is actually quite relaxing…"_

Right's eyes snapped open. "_IT WAS UNTIL YOU TALKED! NOW I'M PANICKING AGAIN!_

Middle just groans as our two wings come up between our three heads, blocking us from seeing each other. "_Can I get myself decapitated please? If these two are gonna keep it up, I don't think I can take it..."_

Regal was staring at us with his beak open. "...I'm out of my league there… I seriously hope the same thing won't happen to Amara."

Amara… Oh no… All three of us moan in despair. "_Oh, God… when she sees us… and Saphira… we're gonna be ridiculed for the rest of our lives!"_

Ragnar rubbed his chin. "He seems to be having moments where he seems fairly united, but then he splits again… I honestly have no idea how he's gonna deal with this."

Regal asked "This is a first for a Plainswalker right? We don't have any other hydras who had a personality split?"

"Let me check through our files…"

Gem supplied "I haven't met anyone like that, and I've been here since 2013."

Right snapped, and went into full-blown sarcastic mode. "_Tell you what that is. It's fucking _epic _that's what! We're the first fucker with multiple personalities!"_

"_More like multiple consciousnesses, really." _Middle observed._ "We're all still Cade, but we're just being Cade at the same time as two other people are- kinda like accessing an account on multiple computers at once."_

Left wasn't convinced. "_But we have different opinions! How does that make us the same person?"_

"_Doesn't everyone have multiple opinions on everything?" _Middle argued, making us see sense._ "Take Amara. We love her because she's family, but she drives us up the wall sometimes."_

Right muttered _"I think this is all Regal's fault. He kept on zapping us. He must have mucked something up inside us."_

Left came to our clanmate's aid. "_No way! This must have been Felix… hey, we won that fight didn't we?"_

We all grinned. "_That's right! WE BEAT YOU, MOTHERFUCKER! TAKE THAT! WHO'S THE ALPHAS NOW, HUH? US!_"

"So you remember the fight now, huh?" Ragnar asked.

Right smiled savagely. "_Yep. We got that sucker good. And we would have finished him off if… wait, why didn't we?"_

Left starts to tear up. "_Oh God… We had a fight, didn't we? And the city… WHY DID WE DO THAT!? WE COULD HAVE KILLED SOMEONE! WE'RE FUCKING MORONS!_"

Middle's eyes widen, but we managed to control ourself. "_How many people died? Give it to me straight._"

Regal replied "None hopefully, but we have several hundred injured and some with radiation poisoning, though that was the Zilla's fault."

Ragnar broke in as we sighed in relief. "I'd like to stop you right there. Zilla is a completely different monster than _Godzilla_. America fucked up in their first film of the big guy, creating Zilla, the mutated iguana. He was bought by Toho purely so they could kill him on screen in Godzilla: Final Wars."

Regal shifted around a little. "Uh, I just said that because it was shorter… Anyways, no we haven't got any casualties, you've been very lucky for that."

We relax, but then come to a conclusion that would be for the best of everyone in Locostral. "_Thank God for that. But… you should probably lock us up somewhere, just so something like this can't ever happen again."_

Ragnar asked "Why do you think we brought you here? You're in the middle of a forcefield bubble, impossible to get into or out of, even through teleporting or using the Rift. However, you don't have the luxury of sitting around on your butt for all time. You have a realm to protect, and a worried cousin to get back to. And she says that your charges are getting worried too."

We covers our heads with our wings. This can't be happening! We're too dangerous to be around other people, and if they won't lock us up, then we want the only other way to permanently ensure that we don't hurt anyone else. "_No. We're not going back. We're fucking morons who are a danger to everybody here. We don't deserve to live after this… Kill us. Please. Make it safe for everyone else."_

Gem was shocked by our request, then quickly recovered herself. "CADE, DON'T EVEN THINK THAT! YOU'RE GONNA LIVE, YOU DUMBASS...ES! NOTHING'S GONNA CHANGE THAT!"

Regal also yelled "CADE! I know that adapting to a new body is difficult, but that's not a reason to give up! You lost control of yourself. That's not great, but at least nobody died and we're gonna put measures in so that it doesn't happen again! As for your consciousness split, well… that's a new one, but I'm sure you… three can manage. Just give it time like always, and don't take a decision like that on a whim. Think about what Jacob, Amara, Saphira, Eragon, Brom and all your Plainswalker friends would think of you… Breathe and calm down, and let's resume the conversation, but only when you're not in that state of depression."

We groaned, adamant on our conclusion. If we stayed around, then a repeat of today was not only probable, but _likely_. The other Plainswalkers of Locostral didn't deserve that. "_We want to die. We don't care what you say. We're too dangerous."_

Regal shook his head. "So. That's it? Just because you met your nemesis for the first time and got overpowered by your instincts, you quit? You no longer care for any of the realms that are out there? You no longer care for Gem? You no longer care for me? For Amara? For Brom? For Eragon? For… Saphira? You think you'll always be overpowered by your instincts and so that you're a walking danger? You don't want to try to reign them in and take the easy exit? Well, I thought better of you, _coward._"

Right starts crying as we start to break down. "_DON'T YOU FUCKING DARE CALL US THAT! IT'S _BECAUSE _WE WEREN'T A COWARD THAT THIS WHOLE SHITSHOW HAPPENED!"_

Left looks at Middle and Right and we come to a conclusion. "_They aren't going to help us, so… together?_"

Middle nods, and we are united. _"Together."_

Each of us closes on the base of another's neck, jaws gently holding onto the scaly limbs.

Ragnar realised what we were doing. "SHIT! DEACTIVATE THE SHIELD! ...YES, DO IT! …I DON'T CARE! THE FOOL'S ABOUT TO SUICIDE! I HAVE TO STOP HIM!"

Gem slams her claws down on the shield, pleading "CADE! DON'T!"

Regal's eyes widen in shock "CADE, IF YOU DO THIS I SWEAR I'LL BEAT THE SHIT OUT OF YOU ONCE I JOIN YOU IN THE AFTERLIFE" He look at one of the forcefield generators "Oh for fuck's sake!" And then he puts his claw on it and overloads it with as much energy as he can, making it explode.

Our eyes close and our breathing rapidly elevates as we prepare ourself for what we have to do. "_We're already in the afterlife Regal. And we guess it was good while it lasted." _

With those words, each of us bit through the neck it was around. There were three screams of pain, and then a massive wave of torture. Our writing mass of golden scales fell to the floor, blood spurting from our self-inflicted wounds as we collapse and go limp, our three heads thrashing around a little before falling still. But we were still alive. Did we have to wait for brain-death?

Gem starts crying as the shield flickers out, but it was too late for her to help us. "The… The fucking idiot… Why did he do it?"

Regal lands next to our body and sighs as our world started to dim and become quieter- less vibrant. "The fool, he thought that it would solve his issues… But he just chose the coward's way out."

Ragnar puts a metal hand over his eyes. "Why? Why does the rift do this to us? Remake us, then break us? Why does it make us have to stay strong?"

Regal puts his wings around our body, hugging it. Weirdo. "Wait… His hearts are still beating. Why are they still beating?"

What? We're still alive? Our world goes black, scentless, and soundless. What has happened? Are we dead? Did we do it?

No. We're still alive. Suddenly, Middle breaks through the gelatinous mass of a regenerative cocoon it is in. Our sight, sound, hearing, taste, and touch are restored. Middle looks around, then starts sobbing. We can't protect those who we care about if we can't die!

Our wings and tails thrash around violently, but Ragnar keeps our head in place as Middle screams in panic "_We can't die! We can't die!_"

Right breaks through next, already spitting out "_DON'T CALL US COWARDS, YOU SHIT! I WAS LISTENING TO THAT AS I DIED, THEN I HAD TO MULL IT OVER AS I REFORMED! FUCK YOU!_"

Left completely and utterly breaks us down. "_Why?! Why can't we end this suffering!? Did we piss off Death or is he just having a nap! WE WANT TO FUCKING DIE!"_

All three of us let out a shrill, piercing cry before going full waterworks, arching back and howling in sorrow. Only Ragnar manages to keep his head down, but Gem and Regal are both lifted into the air, the latter having to take off before he fell. Luckily for them, Omega Supreme entered the area and managed to pin Left and Right back to the ground.

"Omega Supreme: Present. Assistance: Given."

Regal said "Can somebody call Amara? I'm all out of ideas!"

Gem nodded. "I'll go get her. We're lucky today's supposed to be a Gathering, but with a smashed Stadium, that's not gonna happen." She then runs out of the room and flies off.

Ragnar smacked Middle, hoping to knock some sense into us. "Get it together Plainswalker! You have a duty to your Realm, your Clan and your Multiverse too stay alive, so STOP ACTING LIKE A WHINY BITCH!"

We yelled back "_WE DON'T FUCKING CARE!"_

Suddenly, a giant bird that seemed to be a Great Eagle from Lord of the Rings entered the room. He looked down at us, analysing the situation, then sighed. "This sure is a mess, Ragnar. Not only have we had a considerable part of Locostral in rubble since two days ago, we have also one very promising Plainswalker that's close to the mental breakdown."

Ragnar used a one fingered hand gesture, but we just screamed "_THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN 'CLOSE TO'? WE _ARE_ HAVING A MENTAL BREAKDOWN!"_

The Great Eagle shook his head. "No, you have clearly never experienced a full mental collapse. You're depressed and are having suicidal thoughts, even had a suicide attempt, but you still have hope. You're not lost, I know the situation is very painful for you, but we can solve this, find a solution. It would be truly a shame to lose such a wonderful person forever. So, start to breathe, or I'll have to do more… sturdy methods of crowd control."

We screamed at him "_PISS OFF AND LET US BE MISERABLE!"_

He sighed. "Can't tell I haven't warned you."

Ragnar scowled. Well, we think he did. "Just make it quick, Aegis. This guy's hard to hold down."

Aegis walked towards us, right up to our middle head. Then he gave us the _look._ That look. Oh God, we will _never _be able to describe that look properly… It was as if he was an alpha of the universe, and we were an ant at his feet. It was terrifying, but it also made us feel safe, and it almost felt friendly. Slowly, we began to calm down and think rationally again. Our heart rates slowed, we took deep, slow breaths, and we closed our eyes. There was also something that was restraining our mental influence, but not quite suppressing it.

This lasted for several minutes before Aegis said, "Are you ready to have a civilised discussion now?"

Left sniffed. "_Yes."_

Right was still upset, but growled. "_No. Piss off."_

Middle sighed and we used a wing in a 'get on with it' gesture.

Aegis nodded and began talking. "Ok, so why do you think you're a danger to the multiverse?"

Right scowled. "_Because we're fucking overpowered, and if we face someone who we subconsciously see as a rival Alpha, we obliterate them and anything in our way. Hell, I even ripped someone's arm off, and I _enjoyed _it!"_

Aegis tried to shrug, but much like Regal, it was more of a flap of his wings. "So? We have got other people that enjoy twisted pleasures, mostly those whose form is that of a villain, but we managed to accommodate that. Your uncontrollable instincts were mainly because you were in a battle frenzy. Adrenaline can give strange results to people, and we're no stranger to dominance fights too. It happens a lot with werewolves, but it's just that your fights are… up the scale. Nothing that happened two days ago is new to Locostral either. Heck, we have got fights between our Optimus Prime and Megatron reincarnations that have destroyed some skyscrapers too. The ones you crushed will be fixed by next week if you wanna know. Your issue is not the first one, but the trick is to make sure this is a one-time thing."

There was a pause…

Left grinned sheepishly. "_I have suddenly developed a twisted pleasure for waffles._"

Middle groaned. Were we really this stupid? "_For fuck's sake, you're Jacob 2.0._"

Right agreed with Middle. "_And you're part of us, which makes it worse._"

Gem came back in, and was still stunned by the fact that we were still alive, but managed to get us in a headlock and give Right a noogie as we were let up. "YOU COMPLETE BASTARD! YOU DON'T JUST DIE ON ME THEN COME BACK TO LIFE AND DEMAND WAFFLES!"

Right positively screamed. "_AH! GERROFF! CUDDLE THE DUDE ON THE LEFT, HE'LL LIKE IT!_"

Regal shook his head, relieved that were was on the way to being back to normal. "Cade… You complete jackass, just… Please don't do that again to us, it's bad for the heart. After all…" He got a smug look. "We still haven't done our game."

We smirked at him. "_We're so gonna beat you. Especially now._"

Regal rolled his eyes. "Dream on, just because you now really have three consciousnesses doesn't mean you have an advantage on me."

Amara bursts in, then launches herself at us. "GEM TOLD ME YOU TRIED TO SUICIDE, YOU DUMB SHIT!"

She bowled us over, which was impressive since we're three times her height, and we're knocked to the floor with a crash that makes everyone except Ragnar and Omega Supreme stagger. The two robots nod silently to Aegis and walk out, leaving us all with the Great Eagle.

Amara scowled down at us, and we almost trembled at her five glares. "What were you thinking, you prat?! You could have died and left me alone with these weirdos!"

Left looks guilty and looks away, Right just grins, and Middle says "_Well… We kinda did._"

"WHAT!"

Left jumped into the conversation. _"It was only for five seconds! We reformed! Hug me!_"

Amara looked shocked. "Wait, what?"

Right scowled and grumbled. "_Just do it. He'll keep asking until you do. You know how stubborn we are._"

Amara slowly backed away from us, her ten eyes opening as wide as they could. "C-Cade… What… what _happened _to you?"

Right glared at Left. "_Great going dude! Now you've freaked out the only person who doesn't resent us for destroying most of the city!_"

Left got as far away from Right as he could. "_Sorry! Sorry! It's just… family, y'know?_"

Middle ignored our infighting, and asked "_How much of Locostral did we actually destroy?_"

"Of the city, nothing that we can't repair." Aegis said "As for people's opinions of you, you're pretty much at the top of the 'most wanted' list along with Felix. Some of us understand, but a lot of others won't. However, you just have to wait until someone else cocks something up, then all will be forgotten."

Amara is still staring at us in horror. In barely more than a whisper, she asked "What happened to him? What happened to my cousin?"

That statement alone crushed us. We may not have shown it externally, but we were emotionally shattered. Our cousin no longer saw us as ourselves…

Regal didn't pick up on our hearts breaking, but he explained. "Well, you know how Alagaësian dragons have an Eldunari that allows them to live even if their body died?"

Amara shook all five of her heads. "Err, no."

Regal facewinged himself. "... Read Brisingr after. So, an Eldunari holds a dragon's consciousness if their body dies. That explains how he managed to regenerate his bitten off heads, but not the triple consciousness… So we think that he doesn't just have one, but _three_ Eldunari in that belly of his."

"_Can you talk about us like we're actually here please?_" We asked, our mental voices thick and trying not to choke up.

"_And are you calling us fat?_" Right added.

Amara still looked confused. "What's an Eldunari?"

Regal rolled his eyes. "Well, if I remember right, it's a gem that is located next to the heart of a dragon, and it's transparent at birth, but at any time, the dragon may choose to transfer his consciousness into it, making it so that even if his body dies, his consciousness will survive. He can also choose to disgorge it, and it'll reveal a big gem that is the color of his scales. This is what an Eldunari is. In the Ancient Language it means 'Heart of hearts'."

Amara's eyes lit up in understanding. "So it's like a hard drive with Cade's memories on it?"

"Err, yes you could say that."

"But why is he… why does he have someone else in his heads?"

Right growled. _"I take immediate offense to that statement._"

Left pouted instead. "_And I feel hurt._"

Middle spoke for us when he said "_Jeez Cuz, you couldn't find a worse way to insult us, could you? We're all Cade, but we're multiple consciousnesses inside the same body. We all remember the same stuff, but we're acting on the top three opinions that we have about something. Like how the dude on my left wants a hug because we're family, and how the guy on my right is being an annoying prat because we're still a little pissed off because of the lake thing._"

Amara simply said "Oh."

Right scowled again. Evidently, he was the part of us that got annoyed and frustrated easily. "_We really need to name ourselves. This 'left dude, right guy' thing is getting tiring._"

Gem nodded "Good point. So what do you guys want to be called?_"_

"_Cade._" We all said at once.

Regal snorted. "Of course the consensus of you three will still be Cade… I've got the perfect name: Kevin!"

Middle and Right spoke unanimously. "_I'm not being Kevin until Hell freezes over._"

Left was a little late to the draw. "_I'm not being… Shit. Guess I'm Kevin then. Oh well. It could be worse._"

Amara looked at us hesitantly. "Can I have a go?"

We just shrugged. "_Go for it._"

Our cousin thought for a moment before saying "Your right head seems pretty grumpy and hardcore, so how about Sparta?"

Right grinned savagely. "_And this is why I like you. Sparta… yes. That's me._"

Middle looked at our Clan Leader "_Hey Gem, got one for me?_"

Gem scratched at her chin. "Hmm… you'll want something to characterise you, I guess… If I wasn't put on the spot I could probably come up with something better, but what do you think of Driscol? I think it means 'interpreter', so it kinda fits…"

Middle mulled it over, running his tongue around his mouth while looking at the ceiling. "_Well it's better than Kevin-_"

"_Hey!_" Kevin squawked indignantly.

The newly named Driscol ignored him. "_-so I'll take it._"

Gem turned to Aegis. "So what happens with Cade now?"

Aegis looks at us, and we could swear that he had x-ray vision from that single look. It just bored through us. "I'm gonna say that he's back to normal, though I'll add he'll need some close monitoring for the next months." Looking at Amara, he added "You in particular, report ANYTHING unusual about him, we're not having another kaiju fight."

We nodded in agreement. "_And our punishment?_"

"You'll receive it once you're in a calm period in your realm, I'm familiar with your story, and if I'm right, you're about to have several weeks of being chased, having a battle between armies and travel half the continent. I've nothing to say against the punishment your clan decided against you though."

We instantly went on edge. "_Why? What did Jacob do?!_"

Gem laughed. "For once, it wasn't his idea. And your jelly bean privileges have been revoked."

Kevin spluttered "_WHAT!_"

Sparta roared "_YOU UTTER SHITS!_"

Driscol was shocked, but spoke for all of us when he said "_We deserve that, to be honest… and far more._"

Aegis nodded. "Yep, the punishment from the elders will be a lesson, both in mind and body."

Driscol looked away. "_Well that's ominous…_"

Regal chuckled. "Seriously though, I'm pretty sure that my idea will be the one that'll stick more. You're so crazy with Jelly Beans that it's ridiculous."

All of us snapped our gazes towards him and shrieked "_It was your idea?!"_

Regal shrugged, then gave us a glare. "Yes, and that's kinda my revenge for ignoring my THREE attempts at make you see reason and going with your fight still, remember that I exhausted myself trying to put distance between the two of you, tried to halt the fight with a 10-foot wide lightning bolt, and screaming in your face while pecking it. Oh and don't forget the tornado that you tried to throw at Gem and me."

What? Had he tried to stop us apart from the weird teleporting thing? We didn't remember that. Sure, we saw tornadoes, but we didn't think that Regal would have been near one.

Driscol looked at the rest of us. "_Do either of you remember doing that stuff?_"

Sparta shook his head. "_Last thing I remember of Regal was screaming in his face before dropping him off at Bluepeak._"

Kevin looked thoughtful, and squinted as he thought back. "_Hmm, well… actually no, I don't… Were we that lost in our instincts?_"

Driscol sighed. "_Must have been._"

Sparta uncharacteristically apologised. "_Sorry Regs._"

Regal blinked at the new nickname, then shook his head. "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, and once you've free time, if you remember how you did to create a storm, I'll make sure you're responsible with that, and give you lessons if you prove it to me."

Sparta looked at the rest of us. "_I think it was kinda a pull in our gut or something. You know what the Percy Jackson books say controlling water is like? A bit like that."_

Kevin cocked his head to the side. "_Maybe? I dunno. I might have been blasted off at that point."_

Regal rubbed his head with his wing. "Sounds like it's different for you… I can work with that. Also, I'll invite you to see my memories of your fight later so that you can see it from another point of view and probably without holes, should help you."

All three head's awarenesses pushed into Regal's mind. He winced in pain, making Driscol push out Kevin and Sparta, and scan through his recent memories.

We then pull back, both physically and mentally, wincing. "_Christ. We really fucked up. That's terrifying. We don't even recognise that monster as us..."_

Nodding then turning to Aegis, Regal asked "Is it safe to get back to Mount Bluepeak now? I'm pretty sure it should help him to get back with the other members of our clan."

Big Bird nodded "Yes you can, but he must take his normal size first, he should have a low profile for the moment."

All of us nod, and we shrink down to about Jacob's size rather than being our usual Gem-like bulkiness. "_We agree with that._"

Amara winced. "It's still weird how you talk with three voices. They're all the same though, so when you all talk at once, it sounds layered or something."

We shrug. At least she accepts us as us now. "_Nothing we can do about that._"

Regal stretched out his wings to loosen them up. "Let's go then, the others must be waiting for us."

* * *

We were in the lift, going up into the interior of Mount Bluepeak. We'd attracted a lot of looks on the way there, but we kept our heads focused on the ground in shame. There was also an awkward moment where Kevin detected the smell of doughnuts and tried to follow it, making us trip up when we tried to go in two different directions at once.

Driscol glanced nervously at the ceiling. "_I'm starting to think this was a bad idea."_

Gem nudged us encouragingly. "Hey, it'll be fine. We're gonna be the only people who don't care that you demolished a lot of stuff, and Jacob is practically in hero-worship right now. Felix's clan leader is understandably annoyed, but I think that was more because you won the fight than anything of theirs getting destroyed."

Sparta smirked. "_We did a good job of breaking things. Maybe we should consider a career as demolition guys._"

Kevin shook his head, and in a rare moment of wisdom said "_Nah. It'd just remind everyone of this._"

For some reason, Regal muttered "Must be a dragon thing."

We didn't understand what he was talking about, but the doors opened and Gem, Amara and Regal stepped out.

Driscol looks at the rest of us. "_Let's just get this over with._"

Gritting our teeth, we walk in, returning to our regular size.

Jacob was instantly bounding over towards us. "Cade! You're back! You wrecked stuff! You kicked Godzilla's ass!"

Sal smiled and looked at the ceiling. "Of course that's what he's focused on. I'm more worried about whether you're okay."

"And I want to know why you started something without asking me to help!" Darius smiled at us.

We sigh, Kevin glancing away as Sparta winced. Driscol decided to take the lead. "_Err… well, I guess that you can see that we're back, and we're okay._"

Jacob, Paddles, Sal, Darius all echoed "We?"

Regal did us the mercy of explaining. "Oh yeah, basically Cade now has three consciousness inside him, we suppose that's because he has three Eldunari inside his chest - I'll explain later for those that don't know what that is- but basically he woke up like this. May I present you Kevin, Driscol, and-" He was saying while pointing at each head before being interrupted by the last head.

Sparta decided to try out for the quote awards and yelled "_I AM SPARTA!_" before we slammed a foot into the sofa, knocking it over, but not pushing it far.

Sparta glared at the sofa and said "_... I want a hole in our room._"

Driscol looked at him like he'd gone mad. "_Where?_"

Sparta rolled his eyes. "_In the floor, where else, dumbass?_"

"_But we could fall into it._" Kevin pointed out.

Sparta huffed. "_You people are no fun._"

"_Maybe if we get a balcony out the main windows you could kick stuff off it?_" Kevin suggested.

"_That'll work, I guess._" Sparta grumbled.

Jacob looked at us in confusion. "Wait… run that by me again…"

We groaned, and stalked over to the sofa before we realised we'd kicked it over and righted it again.

"_Someone else please do it." _We asked._ "We've had enough of everyone staring at us like we're freaks."_

Regal looks pleadingly at Gem. She obliged and started trying to explain what happened as Amara sits down next to us.

"Hey cuz. Cuzes. Cuzi?"

"_That last one isn't a word._" Kevin said glumly.

"_Isn't it?"_ Sparta asked._ "I'm gonna google it._"

Driscol rolled his eyes and slaps a headset on Sparta.

Sparta nodded to him. "_Thanks._"

"_Don't mention it." _Driscol replies._ "Hey, Amara._"

Jacob sat on our other side as the TV flicked on and Sparta opened an internet browser. "Hey dude. Or dudes now?"

Driscol sighed. _"Dudes. We're dudes. Who would have thought it would have come to this?_"

Kevin bobbed around on the end of his neck. "_I personally like being dudes. We can't get lonely anymore!_"

Jacob smiled. "And I'll always have one of you to talk to!"

Kevin curled himself around the Night Fury in a neck hug. "_Yeah! This is awesome!_"

Paddles still held his distance. "It seems strange for me, but it must be extremely weird for you… three."

Driscol nodded and sighed. "_You don't know the third of it. Kevin's more of our happy, overexcited, pranking self, Sparta's us when we get ****ed off, and I'm… Frankly, I don't know what I am. Maybe I'm the sane aspect of us._"

Regal chuckled. "Nobody is sane, we are all more or less insane. That's what I like to think, there is always a part of us that'll sound insane to somebody else."

Driscol rolled his eyes. "_Well zippity do for us. We're mad on the inside and the outside._"

"_Wanna play some games or whatever?_" Kevin asked.

"_I'm not opposed to that._" Driscol said as we shrugged.

Regal looked smug. "Now is the perfect time for you to try to beat me. Will you be the ones that'll beat me at Supreme Commander?"

Sparta hummed in interest. "_Huh. So that's what it means._"

"_What?_" Kevin asked.

"_Cuzi. It means 'bro' or 'homie', according to the urban dictionary._"

Amara followed Sparta's gaze. "So... close enough then."

We shrugged. "_We dunno… Jacob or Darius are probably being closer to having our 'homie' status."_

Amara looked at me, putting mock hurt into her voice. "But I'm part of your family!"

Jacob instantly jumped in with "I claim homieness!"

Darius smiled. "Click on what homie means. I want to see if I'm eligible for it."

Sparta followed the order, and we all read through the results.

Jacob read "It says that friends would bail you out of jail, but a homie would be sitting next to you saying 'THAT WAS FUCKING AWESOME! Let's do it again!'"

"That's more you than me, then." Darius considered.

Jacob pumped a fist. "YES!"

"_But we technically think as three guys." _Sparta pointed out._ "Wouldn't we have seperate homies, or would there be homie sharing? Or a homie group?"_

Driscol shook his head. "_I have no fucking clue, mate."_

Regal glared at us. "Aaaaaaand you totally ignored me."

"_You denied us jelly beans." _We justified._ "You have therefore removed yourself from the group of homie candidates under rule 17, subsection F of the Bro Code."_

Regal spread his wings in a 'what?' gesture. "Hey! I tried to lessen your punishment from the Elders! I hoped they would go with that, then they wouldn't have to punish you more."

Jacob got as close to Sparta's ear as he can and whispered "I got you, fams. Meet me later, under the hard-light bridge to Thundergulch Gorge." All three of us grin and wink at him.

Driscol announced "_Jacob has been raised to homie status. Homies two and three have yet to prove themselves. And yeah Regal, we're totally gonna beat you._"

Regal's eyes narrowed. "Bring it on! I could have tried to go for a pro career in SupCom, if there was a pro scene, but there haven't been enough people playing it for that…" He shakes his head then grabs a headsets and puts one on, taking control of the TV to launch the game. "Bring it on!"

All three of us smirk. "_Jacob, you want in too?_"

Jacob nodded happily. "Sure!"

"I'll take Regal's team if he'll have me." Darius said. Traitor.

Amara nodded. "Same."

Sparta raised whatever we had instead of eyebrows at her suspiciously. "_And why would that be, dear cousin? Are you no longer trying to attain homieness?_"

Driscol smirked. "_You really are manipulating sometimes._"

Sparta gave him a smug grin. "_Why, thank you. What can I say? Great minds think alike._"

Regal ignored us. "Anyway, first, if there is one more person on my team, we can do a 4v4, with all three Cade's head controlling an ACU each, and second, we should all go to our rooms anyways, we cannot really play on the same screen, else you could just spy what the other side does."

Paddles walked over to Regal. "I'm going with you then. Partly because you need me, but mostly because you have Jacob."

"Hey!" Jacob complained.

"_Are you messing with our homie?" _We asked Paddles, our heads rising a few meters.

Paddles nodded. "Yes. What're you three gonna do about it?"

We narrowed our eyes at him. "_Nothing… yet."_

Jacob glanced towards his bedroom, then back at us. "I dunno if my room's big enough for both of us, Cade."

Regal clarified "Nah I mean, each member of a team is in their own room, and my team talk via microphone-"

Sparta coughed loudly.

"I said MY team, you can just mindspeak with Jacob."

Kevin winked at our teammate. "_Of course, we can just look in their heads __to see what they're doing."_

"And no spying on us either or it's automatic forfeit!"

We stared at him, stunned. "_How the fuck did you know what we were thinking?_"

Regal snorted. "Dude, it's so obvious, that it's telegraphed."

Driscol and Sparta glared at our third head. "_KEVIN! YOU IDIOT!"_

Kevin whimpered. "_Sorry!"_

Jacob hopped off the sofa and began trotting towards his room. "Enough talk, more play!"

Regal turned towards Gem and Sal "Do you want to play the roles of commentators? It'll be a perfect thing to watch for the residents of Locostral, and will reassure them about Cade's mental state."

Gem nodded. "I have very little experience commentating on things, but okay."

Jacob turned back and started pushing us off the sofa. "TO GLORY!"

Regal shook his head and motions to his team to head towards their rooms. We and Jacob head towards our room, set ourselves up with headsets, popcorn, and cokes, and sit back and wait for Regal to create the game.

"_So do you have any experience in RTS games?" _We asked him.

"I mainly rush the enemies." The Night Fury replied.

"_Cool."_ Driscol said. "_You and Kevin harass them while Driscol and I focus on resource allocation and getting a stable economy going."_

"Roger, Big Chief."

"_If Driscol is 'Big Chief', what am I?" _Sparta asked our homie.

"Leonidas?"

Sparta snorted. "_Nah. Enough 300 references. I'll stick with my new name."_

And with Kevin burying himself in a bucket of popcorn, we began the game.

* * *

A few hours later, and it was all over. Although we had put up a valiant effort, and eliminated Darius, Paddles, and Amara, we lost Kevin halfway through, and Regal eventually bombarded Jacob and the rest of us into submission. Adding to that, we were totally wasted.

Kevin was pretty much drowning in his bucket of popcorn. Jacob was passed out, lying upside down on our bed with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. Sparta had found a pillow, but had it in his mouth instead of under his head. And finally, Driscol had managed to get most of our body covered by the cola-stained blankets, but lay awake in the night.

Strangely, we could now be sleeping and awake at the same time. That would be useful for taking guard shifts, but it was still strange. Our centre head tossed and turned as the blue light of the TV washed over us, but he couldn't get to sleep. We were still bodysick, even after the massive fight, the awakening, and all that talk. We just hadn't had time to deal with it after becoming a 'we'.

We still weren't sure how we felt about that. On the one hand, as we'd pointed out ourselves, we were all still Cade. On the other, this was completely freaky. You don't usually wake up and find two other people strapped to you. However, we did have moments of unity, where we all acted together, and who knows, perhaps we could use each other's perspectives as we debated who to save and how.

Driscol sighed and bent around to see the TV screen. Nosing on a headset, he just began surfing the internet. We'd be fine if he had to sleep a few hours. Kevin would let him sleep over his neck the next day. Driscol started with browsing a few social media sites, looking up some memes, and checking what new videogames would be coming out soon.

Glancing at the clock, we read the time. 2:43 am. Driscol silently groaned. It wasn't like we could go flying. Kevin and Sparta would be woken up. Kevin probably wouldn't mind, but Sparta would definitely be ****ed enough to bite off our centre head. Having multiple people in one body was a pain.

Bored, Driscol started thinking about our bodysickness. We missed being human. As we said before, we were happy in this form, but we still missed our old life. That got the cogs in Driscol's brain whirring. When the idea came to us, we were scared to try it out, but we eventually did it. After all, nobody could blame us for logging into our old social media accounts.

Doing so was a remarkably pleasant experience. We saw what the old gang were up to, which mainly consisted of gaming and actually getting on with life. We saw what Mom and Dad were doing too. It seemed like our death had been a very bumpy road for them, but they eventually got past it and started travelling the world on a cruise.

Driscol smiled. It looked like our death had been an oddly good shakeup of everyone's lives, least of all our own. Still, it gave us one last thing to research. Our death.

Our centre head typed our collective name into the search bar and hit enter. What popped up was… surprising. Despite the vision we'd had of the graveyard, it turned out that our body hadn't been recovered. The grave was just to mark our passing, while the largest physical part of us had been part of our right arm. That had been taken by Mom and Dad, and had been cremated. They had entrusted our ashes to my friends, which we thought was a nice touch.

Finally, we opened up Discord, switched our profile onto invisible mode, and jumped into our private server, with Jack, Mark, Sarah, Jane, and Bob's text chat. Once again, time proved itself to be out of whack, as it seemed to be about seven in the morning for them.

Driscol watched as the messages began stacking in. Memes, insults, dares, prank ideas, and questions for each other. A smile formed over his mouth as our bodysickness finally began to fade. It wasn't what we were that defined us. It was who we were. Our actions, and our personalities explained us far louder than any words could.

And it was because of our actions as a stupid, immature, person that caused what happened next. After a brief decision, Driscol flicked our visibility to online and typed in the following message:

'This is Follower_of_Chief. Reports of our demise have been greatly exaggerated.'

* * *

**Snapshot #2A**

The whole Hogwarts shebang was a fiasco. Darius had completely flipped out because of the spiders, and had set fire to the _entire _Forbidden Forest.

Naturally, we decided to bail the realm after that, which led us back to Locostral. And Jacob.

"Hey Cade? How are you three doing?"

"_Not bad." _We replied.

"Cool! Now I need your help for something."

"_What did you break this time?"_

"Hey! I didn't do anything. This is probably the safest project I've ever done."

"_So what do you need us for then?" _Driscol asked.

"_If there aren't explosions, then I'm out." _Sparta grumbled.

"_Can we get waffles?" _Kevin questioned.

"I need you guys to be my cameraman."

"_Say what?"_

* * *

**Authors' second notes:**

**Regal Eagle- DONE!**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- WE'RE DONE! IT TOOK THREE DAYS! BUT WE'RE DONE! WOO!**

**Regal Eagle- That was… A long ride.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- Yep. It was a looooooong time. How many hours do you think we sank into this?**

**Regal Eagle- More than a dozen for sure… We totally not planned for the plot to be like this at the beginning, I think the original intent was to just have the cafe scene and a cameo of Felix (the Godzilla) but… We just went into the flow and it resulted in that monster of a chapter.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- An absolute monster… This will be uploaded in the original, third person version on my profile, but each of us will release a version from our character's point (or points for Cade) of view… That's gonna be a nightmare to edit…**

**Regal Eagle- You've an even harder job than me too… Most of the story that we wrote on the original version could almost be considered Regal's PoV but on the 3rd person, you have parts that are not described for you… And there's now your consciousness split, can't wait to see how it'll translate in the rest of your canon story.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- This IS canon. But yeah, it'll take FOREVER, but I owe it to my viewers for the short chapter I put out last time. I hope all you guys reading enjoyed this chapter! Tell us if we should do something like this in the future, because it was awesome to do.**

**Regal Eagle- Not for several months at least tho… I've written two VERY long chapters back to back, if I don't post for two weeks, that's normal, first I'll be on vacation in a ski station next week so I probably won't have the time to write and not even sure I'll have internet, and second… Just on the Gdoc we wrote together, it's 12k words long, and I'm sure the final result will be longer, at least we could just copy the dialogues.**

**Sleepysaurus Rex- MUCH longer… Skiing's cool though. I've done it about once a year since I was 5 or 6. Anyway, we do have another collab planned… but we won't tell you when or what it will be! Yes, we're evil. Deal with it. See you guys next chapter!**

**Regal Eagle- Same! And don't worry, we'll start the main storyline of Fairy Tail for real in my next chapter, that's a promise!**

**Bye guys!**


	19. Chapter 19- Facing the Music

**Author's notes: So, Chapter X seems to have been well received in general! That's great, as both I and Regal put a lot of effort into it. Anyway, now onto the reactions of Saphira, Eragon, and Brom to Cade's new predicament. This is kinda filler, but we'll get to Dras Leona next time! Enjoy!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
****Wizzer96: Yep, we have Kevin! I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter. Yes, the pre-built instincts will be a recurring problem for our Plainswalkers. Amara will start to suffer from Tiamat's desire to conquer, but Cade will help her out. As for Darius, yes. He'll be a pyromaniac. And welcome to the Discord server!  
****Blaze1992: Err… to which part?  
****JustAnotherWildDragon: Thanks, and welcome to the Discord server!  
****dragonlord174: Yup, and thank you! I was a bit worried about making Cade have three conciousnesses, but it seems to have turned out well.  
****d8rkforcen1igh7: Thank you! It was Regal's idea for the right head to be called Sparta. I just put that line in there for the meme. As for not predicting stuff, neither could I. We just made it up as we went.  
****chris: Thanks! As for Cade becoming Monster X… Hmm. I'll get back to you on that one.  
****The Jagdpanther: I did explain in a response to a review for chapter 12 that Cade is a hybridisation between an Alanglaesian dragon and King Ghidorah. Well, was. After last chapter, he's mutated/evolved to get a lot more of his abilities. Now he doesn't need oxygen, and he CAN go to space, as well as doing a lot more sick stuff.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 19: Facing the Music**

So you probably want to know what happened after we typed that. Truth be told, Driscol chickened out and left the group chat, too scared to see what the reply would be. Naturally, we were furious at what he had done, but we eventually agreed that it would be in our best interests to check what would happen… later.

For now, we were having a late breakfast, and Driscol was recovering from a restless night. Kevin was interested about what we'd found, but Sparta was royally ticked off that Driscol did what he did. Our right head wasn't talking to our centre one, making us even more divided than our new usual. That utterly sucked. Added to that, none of us could agree on what to have for breakfast, which drove us to new levels of self-loathing, and a mental shouting match that only ended when Gem slapped us in the faces with her tail and told us to shut up.

Eating breakfast itself was awful too. Before our split, we'd just eat something from one head. Now, we each had a different idea of what we wanted, how we wanted it, and not enough stomach space to cope with all of us shovelling down food at the same time. It was about an hour and two pukes later when we finally remastered eating. That just made us even more grumpy, and Sparta's already short patience was stretched as tight as possible, and he _really _wanted to blow something up.

Therefore, it was no surprise that when the lift went _ding _and made us jump, a 'stray' gravity beam blasted through the microwave. The device exploded with a bang, and was blasted across the room. All three of us perked up at that, the hostility between us dropping a little. Our beams had never had that much knockback before what our fellow Plainswalkers were calling the Clash of the Titans.

Gem sighed, and glared at us before walking over to the lift as Sparta started zapping small things around the table with very toned-down gravity beams and seeing if he could lift them. Driscol was on his third bucket of coffee, and still had bleary eyes. Kevin was watching Sparta and gave him an affectionate rub every now and then, trying to be the glue to put us back together.

That was a goal we all wanted. To be an 'I' again. Yes, one day of being a 'we', and we'd already decided we didn't like it. It was too chaotic, too divided. Sure, we were coping, but that was it. Coping. And we hadn't even got back to our assigned realm yet.

Simultaneously, we all groaned and looked up at the ceiling in anxiety. We liked the rare moments of harmony that we had. They bonded us together, united us, made us stronger. They made us more like how we used to be. Singular.

"Hey, Driscol, Kevin, Sparta!" Gem called us. "You guys have a delivery!"

"_What?" _We asked in surprise.

Turning, we saw four large boxes that were neatly stacked in the cargo lift. On one of them, a small note read;

'Thought you might want to keep these. If you do, get a cryogenic freezer. –Ragnar.'

"_Huh." _Sparta said. "_That doesn't give us much of a clue. What do you think they are?"_

"_I have an idea." _Kevin said. "_But I don't want to say unless I'm right."_

Driscol just tried to finish his coffee in peace as we pried the lid off the first crate.

The smell hit us before anything else did. "_Oh God, that's absolutely rank!" _Driscol said, snorting coffee out of his nose in disgust.

"_Oh God, I was right." _Kevin said as the lid came fully off and clattered to the floor.

Inside was one our severed heads.

We were filled with various thoughts and opinions on the matter. Disgust, fear, horror, and strangely, happiness and laughter. Driscol and Kevin looked at the chuckling Sparta in shock, trying to judge if we were slipping from our regular levels of insanity.

"_I like his sense of humour!" _Sparta laughed. "_I want to keep it. Or them, if there's more in those other boxes. They served us well in their brief time on us."_

"_You're fucking mental." _Driscol decided.

"_I'm half disgusted, and half in agreement." _Kevin said.

"_So, keep?" _Sparta asked.

Kevin looked at Driscol, who sighed, rolled his eyes, and nodded reluctantly. "_If that's what makes you happy."_

Sparta grinned. The simple action made Kevin happy that we were getting along, which made Driscol happy in turn. Our right head started talking to Gem about getting some kind of freezer, as the other two of us looked down at our severed limb. Kevin smirked, grabbed hold of it, and stuck it between him and Driscol, making the centre head try to get on Sparta's other side- out of the area where it could be smelled.

Kevin laughed and stuck the dead head back in its box, closing the lid over it as Driscol tried not to gag. "_We could play some good pranks with these."_

Sparta spun around to face our left head, snarling. "_And disrespect their memory? No. We're gonna keep them as a tribute to them, and a reminder of our failures."_

"_I better not be able to smell them though." _Driscol said sternly.

"Cryo-tubes and the like have an airtight seal." Gem explained. "Nothing gets in or out, but if you get ones with a window in them, you can look inside them."

"_That sounds great!" _We said happily.

Gem smiled. "Tell you what, I'll sort that out while you three go back to your realm."

Our faces fell, and our heads drooped towards the floor. "_But… but we aren't ready…"_

"Hey." Gem said gently, putting her hand under Driscol's chin and tipping him up to meet her gaze. "I get that you're scared of your friends being scared or weirded out by you. I would be too in your situation. But if you don't even try to be accepted, then you'll never know what their reaction will be. You could be stressing that they might hate you for the rest of your life when they could be very understanding about your situation. All of us here have accepted what happened to you. Sure, we think it's strange, but we're here to support you. Your friends in Alagaësia will be too once they understand. You've just to take the leap and tell them what happened."

"_Are you sure?" _We asked.

"Yes I am." Gem said confidently, giving us a brief hug before gently pushing us towards the window. "Now go, and good luck."

We nodded, took a deep breath, and opened the window before launching ourselves out of it and spreading our wings.

"_Was it just me," _Sparta asked, "_or did she act a lot like Mom?"_

"_So you noticed that too?" _Driscol asked.

"_Well, it's not surprising." _Kevin pointed out. "_You remember that Jacob said that Gem was like a big sister to him while we were in How To Train Your Dragon?"_

"_Yeah…" _Sparta said.

"_Well, I think she's kinda like that to us."_

We mulled that over as we altered course for the departure portal. That made sense. It would be natural for some of our Clanmates to pass the boundary from friends to family. Gem had definitely passed it, Amara was our cousin anyway, and Jacob was definitely like a brother to us, given our time together while searching for Gem, but we didn't quite think that anyone else in the Clan was that close to us.

As we dove towards the orange pool of the Rift, our thoughts turned to our friends in Alagaësia. Did we think of any of them as family? Not really. Brom was a teacher, albeit a grumpy one. Islingr was our master, and although she cut us a lot more slack now she knew what we truly were, she was still across the void of teacher and student. She was friendly, and we could rely on her, but it was more of a professional relationship than a relaxed one.

Eragon was… complicated. Though he had a tendency to act before he thought, he was a good person, and we had occasionally shared jokes and pranks. So he was still a friend. As for Saphira, we'd spent a lot more time with her than anyone else in Alagaësia except Islingr, although it felt like we knew her the best due to our long talks together. However, even though we knew her life story via the books, which was weird, we still had very little idea about her personality- what she liked and disliked. That put her in the friends box.

Thoughts satisfied, we burst through the Rift, back out to where we had left Alagaësia. The results of our venting could still be seen, but it was nothing compared to what we had done in Locostral. A few demolished trees was nothing compared to a sizeable section of a city. Still, it was yet another reminder of how destructive we could get.

Sighing, we projected "_Cuz? Where are you guys?"_

Amara's answer came back almost instantly. "_I'm in the woods outside Dras Leona with everyone. I convinced them to wait until you got back before going in."_

"_Can we get there without anyone seeing us?"_

"_I think so. Just come in as a fairly small version of yourself. Try Jacob's size as you approach."_

"_Understood.__" _Kevin said as we cut the connection.

We were about to take off before Sparta said "_Uhh, which way is it to Dras Leona?"_

"_Um…" _Driscol pondered.

"_Why don't we just go as high as we can and look around for Helgrind?" _Kevin suggested.

"_That'll work." _Driscol said, and we took off with great beats of our wings, stirring up a small storm of leaves, twigs and dust as we rose through the sky.

We quickly ascended through the clouds, the wind whipping in our faces. This felt right. We were the kings of the sky, and we were born- well, reborn to be here. Eventually, we levelled out and started looking around for Helgrind.

When we finally caught sight of it, we were a little stunned. It was massive, jagged, and looked extremely out of place. There was nothing else like it in the surrounding landscape, and that alone gave a very out-of-this-world vibe. And none of us liked that. Still, we set course for it, and started winging our way towards Dras Leona.

* * *

As it turned out, we didn't need to be worried about being spotted. Night fell by the time we managed to find everyone, and we used the darkness to our advantage. It both hid us, and it's absence in the form of a campfire showed where Amara, Brom, Eragon and Saphira were.

We didn't bother to announce ourselves with a fancy entrance. We landed without ceremony and took in the scene. Eragon and Brom were duelling, Amara was watching a movie, and Saphira was dividing her attention between the fight and the film. Still, they all looked our way as we landed with a loud thud, and we were greeted with a combination of smiles and polite nods.

We didn't return them. We were staring at the ground, a sinking feeling starting in our stomachs as our heart rates elevated. This wasn't going to go well. This was going to be a nightmare! This…

"Ghidorah, are you alright?" Eragon asked us as he lowered his sword.

We shifted our weight around nervously, not meeting his eyes as we shook our heads.

"What happened?" Brom snapped.

Kevin shied away as Driscol tried to speak, but mentally choked up. Sparta rolled his eyes and took the lead.

"_We split. Happy?"_

"What?" Eragon asked.

Sparta groaned and tried again. "_Our consciousness. It split-"_

"_Triplicated." _Driscol cut in.

"_-over… Did I ask?"_

"_Well, no. But it's more accurate. We didn't divide. We copied."_

"_But _I'm _the one who's explaining."_

"_Sorry."_

"_You'd better be. Now shut up."_

"_Err, guys?" _Kevin said.

Our infighting heads turned around to see what was going on, and found Eragon, Brom and Saphira with their mouths wide open.

"_Um, surprise?" _Kevin said hesitantly as we nervously backed up.

"What…" Brom said blankly.

"_I think you broke them." _Amara chuckled, giving Brom and Eragon a nudge that almost knocked them over.

"How did you manage to…" Eragon trailed off.

We winced. This was going about as badly as we'd feared.

"_We got into a fight with someone." _Driscol said.

"_And won!" _Sparta added happily.

"_And we think that this happened somewhere when our instincts were taking over." _Kevin added.

Then we all spoke in sync. "_So we're like this now. And we don't like it, but we have to live with it."_

Saphira was still staring at us. "_Are you… three… still the same person? On the inside?"_

Sparta took the answer for us. "_Kind of. We do have moments of unity, but as Driscol said a while back, we sort of represent the top three opinions we have on something. He's the guy in the middle, by the way. Kevin's on the left, and I'm Sparta. Although if you want to refer to us collectively, we will respond to Ghidorah."_

Eragon ran a hand through his hair. "So you're three people, in one body."

"_Yeah." _Driscol nodded. "_We were pretty shocked when we first realised we had two other consciousnesses inside us, so compared to that, you're handling this very well. But what you should take from this is that nothing long-term has changed. Sure, there may be three of us in here, but that doesn't matter. We're still ready to do our job and protect you and Saphira."_

Brom seemed to get over his shock, and his face returned to its usual scowl. "Good. We've almost reached Dras Leona now. We would have gone in already, but your cousin insisted that we should wait for you, so we're going to wait the night here and enter the city- and I use that term loosely- in the morning."

"_Good." _We said. "_That means we can go with you."_

"_What?"_ Saphira asked as if she'd misheard.

"_It's our responsibility to take care of you and your partner." _Sparta explained to her. "_You'll be fine out here, but we can shrink down and fit into a backpack, so we can keep watch over Eragon. You know he's a trouble magnet, and with the Ra'zac being somewhere in Dras Leona, we can't be too careful."_

"That's true." Brom grumbled. "But you're to stay hidden, alright?"

"_Roger, roger." _Kevin chuckled, impersonating a battle droid.

Amara chuckled, and Brom rolled his eyes and walked over to talk with her about something, leaving Eragon and Saphira with us.

"_I expect that you're freaked out by this." _Driscol sighed, his head drooping slightly. "_You probably think we're an abomination or something."_

Eragon and Saphira glanced at each other, and then turned towards us.

"Well, it's going to take some getting used to…" Eragon started.

"_But you are still the same person that we started this quest with, even if you have become three people from one person." _Saphira finished.

We grinned broadly, and enveloped the duo in a hug. It felt like the weight of the world had been lifted off our shoulders. They'd accepted us.

"_Thank you." _we whispered. "_You don't know how worried we were that you'd reject us."_

"No... problem…" Eragon squeaked. "But… air!"

"_Jeez, sorry!" _Kevin said as we released our 'captives'.

Saphira chuckled. "_It's good to have you back after your time away."_

"_It's good to be back." _we toothily smiled at her before lumbering over to see what Amara was watching.


	20. Chapter 20- Operation Liberation

**Author's Note: We broke 10k views, and we almost have 100 reviews! Thanks to all my RRFFers!**

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**In response to reviews:**

**SappySoulTaker:  
Sorry I didn't get round to you last time. I usually check the reviews the night before I upload a new chapter, so I just missed you. As for your comment, it might be a bit far to say that there's no possible in-universe explanation for Cauroc's robot body, but seriously. It's a robotic body that seems to draw power from the Eldunarí inside it, has a neural interface with said Eldunarí which relays commands and sensory inputs back and forth, and to top it all off, has impeccable balancing skills. We are nowhere near this level of robotics in the present, so in a medieval stage of technology, it would be impossible to create something so advanced. The only possible in-universe thing I can think of to explain it is aliens. Yeah. Aliens.**

**Idhun's Durmgrist Feldunost:**

**Yes he can! The top of Farthen Dûr is large enough for him to fit through, but I don't know if he can make it perpetual night. I'd have to know the dimensions of the hole to make a good estimate, although if you use Earth's volcanoes, then I'd say he should be able to. However, Farthen Dûr is absolutely **_**gigantic,**_** so I don't know, even though Cade does have a very impressive wingspan (I'm guessing around 350 metres from wingtip to wingtip at full size).  
Blaze1992:  
Okay. I know that not everyone will like everything that I do, but thank you for your feedback.**

**chris:**

**Thanks! I will try to ensure that the story remains great. Will Cade ever go taller than 160 metres? No, he's maxed out.**

**that guy:**

**The link does work, you just have to remove the spaces. I had to put them in like that as Fanfiction is a pain in the ass if you want to link something in.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. If I did, I probably would have ruined he books and messed them up.**

* * *

**Chapter 20: Operation Liberation.**

Dras Leona. A synonym for hell on Earth. Well, hell on Alagaësia. This utter pit of a city was misery crushed underneath despair.

Eragon, Brom and we were inside this… putrid bog, looking for the Ra'zac while Amara stayed outside with Saphira. Honestly, we thought that they had the better end of the deal. Dras Leona was rank. Even though we were hidden inside Eragon's backpack and couldn't see the horrors of the city, we could still hear and smell them.

Illness, poverty, raw sewage in the streets, misery, starvation, we sensed all of it. The two humans- it _still _felt weird to exclude myself from our former species- eventually found the Golden Globe and got the five of us a room for the night.

As Eragon looked at the bed, his already troubled face pulled itself into a grimace. "I'm sleeping on the floor. There are probably enough bugs in that thing to eat me alive."

"_Agreed." _We decided, climbing out of Eragon's backpack.

Brom shrugged. "Well, I wouldn't want to deprive them of a meal."

Sparta groaned quietly as we stretched, cracking noises coming from several of the bones in our back. "_For God's sake, could you have made the ride any bumpier?"_

"Sorry." The young rider apologised as we spread our wings out to lose some of the stiffness from them. "So what now?"

"We find food and beer." Brom announced. "After that, sleep. Tomorrow we can start looking for the Ra'zac."

Eragon nodded as Brom started securing his possessions.

"_Ever got drunk before?" _Driscol asked him.

"No. I couldn't afford to." Eragon replied.

"_Then let us pass on our wisdom and tell you, if you care about how you feel in the morning, don't drink too much."_

"Why?"

"_Because while the alcohol affects you, you'll have very little control over yourself." _Sparta said seriously._ "You'll lose your sense of balance and your ability to tell good ideas from bad ones. The next morning, it will feel like you've got your head jammed up against our boom box when the volume is on max and it's blaring rock. You'll also feel like your stomach is trying to kill the rest of you. Trust us. We've been through it. It's one of the worst things you can possibly experience."_

"Oh."

"_Just… know your limit, okay?" _Kevin added as the two humans left the room. "_And bring us back something to eat!"_

* * *

The next day dawned with us mentally belting out a song into our companion's brains.

"_SHE WAS A FAST MACHINE, SHE KEPT HER MOTOR CLEAN, SHE WAS THE BEST DAMN WOMAN WE HAD EVER SEEN!"_

Eragon sat bolt upright, instantly alert. He'd heeded our advice and hadn't drank too much.

"_SHE HAD THE SIGHTLESS EYES, TELLING US NO LIES, KNOCKING US OUT WITH THOSE AMERICAN THIGHS!"_

Brom cursed heavily and lobbed a pillow in our general direction. Catching it in mid-air, we threw it back at him, hitting him full in the face. We kept on singing as he stumbled upright and staggered out of the room, slamming into the doorframe on his way out.

We stopped as soon as he disappeared, chuckling to ourselves while Eragon smiled at us. "You really shouldn't do that."

"_But we did!"_ Sparta laughed. "_Just goes to show you why getting drunk is a bad idea, especially the next day."_

The young rider smiled. "Yeah. Thanks for the tip."

"_No problemo." _Driscol smiled as Eragon followed Brom towards breakfast.

* * *

The rest of that day was only filled with being bumped around in the backpack while scanning the unshielded minds of the area. It was a trick that Islingr- who didn't seem too phased about what had happened to us- was trying to teach us, so we'd always be able to tell who meant us harm. So far, we'd mastered the part where we had to read intentions, but we were having trouble on broadening our focus.

Part of that was due to us detecting ourselves, which was basically poking yourself, but mentally. It was a problem that we kept facing, and after half an hour, it became so annoying that we had a tiny fight between all three of our heads, and decided to give it a break. Islingr gave the matter some thought and told us to only set one of us on detection duty. Kevin took up the responsibility as Sparta and Driscol made a tiny hole in the pack so we could see out, and got into a fight about who would look through it.

At about lunchtime, Eragon and Brom split up, with Eragon taking us around. He also managed to slip us a lump of meat without anyone noticing, which gave allowed Sparta to eat while Driscol watched and Kevin thought. Nothing much of interest happened, which made Sparta so bored he started talking to Saphira and Amara about how their day was going.

* * *

By the time we got back to the Golden Globe, we bored, tired, and we ached in places we didn't know we had. Brom and Eragon had their talk about where the Bleach of Death had been taken, that Galbatorix was coming, and that the Ra'zac were in Helgrind.

Eragon was suggesting taking the place of the two slaves that sent supplies to the Ra'zac, but we interjected "_If you just want the Ra'zac dead, we can easily annihilate Helgrind. If you want to do it yourself, the best we can do is pin them down."_

"I'd rather do it myself." Eragon said quietly, so we nodded. "I can't believe it; we actually found them."

"The toughest part is yet to come, but yes, we've done well." Brom agreed. "If fortune smiles upon us, you may soon have your revenge and the Varden will be rid of a dangerous enemy. What comes after that will be up to you."

"_Maybe a holiday?" _Kevin smiled.

Surprisingly, Brom smiled back. "Maybe."

We chuckled and moved around on the blanket that we'd claimed. Kevin and Sparta closed their eyes and fell asleep as Brom extinguished the candles that gave us enough light to see by. Driscol stayed up, keeping watch over the room.

Out of the darkness, a tendril of thought met with our centre head's mind. "_Ghidorah, are you still awake?"_

After identifying the foreign mind as Eragon, we said "_Driscol here. Kevin and Sparta are asleep. Whaddya need?"_

There was a pause before he replied. "_I was talking to Saphira, and I suggested going back to Carvahall when this is all over. She snapped at me, saying that I can't go back to my previous life, and that I had to decide what to commit to."_

"_Uh huh?"_

"_So I said that I'd side with the Varden."_

"_Right."_

"_So, I was wondering, what is it like to leave everything you know behind?"_

We thought for a long time at his words before Driscol replied "_It's sad at first. You keep comparing things to what it's like back home, but you eventually get used to it. Having someone who you know well being along for the trip with you helps. You meet new people, make friends, and see some cool stuff."_

"_But you get used to it?"_

"_Yup. You get nostalgic every once in a while, but apart from that, you should be good."_

"_And the people that you leave behind?"_

"_You miss them. Sometimes you bump back into them, like Amara did with us, and you have a party. But you do miss them. That's normal."_

Eragon hummed thoughtfully, then sighed and turned over on his side and tried to get some sleep. Although that left us pondering our own situation, and the people we'd left behind. Sure, we'd… made contact… and we were putting off seeing what happened. Angela's words about how heartbreaking getting rejected was, we were terrified of seeing what the aftermath of our comment was. Still, we didn't even have the means to check the chat. There was no internet here.

* * *

The next day, and we were in the backpack again. We were really starting to hate it, but it was necessary to keep Eragon safe. We didn't sense anything out of the ordinary until about midday, where the young Rider encountered… the slave market. It was a pit of hopelessness and misery. If Eragon was angry about it, we were positively incandescent with rage as he forced himself to walk away. Dark clouds started to form over the city. Thunder boomed like drums. Lightning flashed and angrily speared through the sky.

"_This is the sort of thing I could stop by fighting the Empire." _Eragon thought. "_With Saphira by my side, I could free those slaves. I've been graced with special powers; it would be selfish of me not to use them for the benefit of others. I f I don't, I might as well not be a rider at all."_

"_If we didn't have to guard you," _Sparta snarled, "_we'd have attacked them right then and there. They… were… selling… _children…_"_

"_Do you have slavery where you come from?" _Eragon asked us curiously.

"_No. Everyone has the right to be free." _Kevin growled._ "To us, this is barbaric."_

By this time Eragon had reached the cathedral, we'd hacked the mind of the slave traders to discover where they were keeping the slaves, and we now had an excuse to be absent when the Ra'zac attacked Eragon and Brom.

"_Amara, be prepared to take off on our mark." _Driscol said, creating a link to our cousin._ "We're entering the cathedral. We have a plan for how to be out the way for Brom's death. We need you to airdrop us something too."_

Our cousin quickly responded _"Right, what's the plan?"_

"_Once Eragon leaves the cathedral, we'll reveal ourselves and grow to our regular size, creating a distraction. We'll head to where the slaves are being kept and bust them out. You might want to help us get them out."_

"_And what do I need to airdrop?"_

"_The sick beats."_

"_Roger that."_

As we sensed the smell of the Ra'zac entering the building, we said "_They're here. Take off now." _before cutting the connection.

Eragon spun around and roared in fury, the sound echoing throughout the cathedral as he drew his bow and fitted an arrow to the string. We took that as our cue to leap out the backpack, growing to about the size of a lion and snarling savagely. Small bursts of electricity flaring around us and our two tails rattling like a snake's.

The Ra'zac were weird looking. Their general appearance reminded us of plague doctors from back when Earth was in the middle ages. They had long, pointed beaks, large eyes, and wore large, black cloaks. They carried long, leaf-shaped swords, and seemed to have a hunched back, although that was due to their weird biology.

At our appearance, they stepped back, then glanced at each other. Eragon didn't give them time to decide what to do. He fired an arrow, quickly getting and firing two more after that. The Ra'zac completely ripped off The Matrix and bent over backwards, the arrows sailing over their heads. Returning to their previous stance, they raced up the isle like cheetahs as a column of soldiers started marching into the cathedral.

Charging up our gravity beams, we yelled to Eragon "_Go! If they found you, they can find Brom! Get outta here and warn him, we'll hold them off!"_

"_I will, but how will you hold them all off?!"_

"_Dramatically."_

With that word, we increased our size again, rapidly becoming so large that our back hit the ceiling. As our eyes took on the glow they did when we were using our powers, we grinned savagely. We felt a tug in our gut, and thunder boomed outside as we burst through the cathedral's roof. The soldiers screamed as dust and masonry started falling down around them, the ceiling caving in as we reached our regular size, the stormy sky revealed in all its blazing glory.

"_Cuz, now would be good." _Sparta said as we advanced a step and growled, alarms trumpeting in the near distance.

No sooner had we said the words, our boom box fell through the massive hole in the ceiling. Kevin snatched it out of the air and set it on the floor, smashing the play button. As Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It' started blaring, we let loose with our gravity beams. Soldiers screamed as they were turned to ash, their now empty and melting armour clattering to the floor.

The Ra'zac screeched in terror and ran, their cloaks flapping behind them like wings trying to take flight. Unfortunately, we couldn't kill them. They were important to the storyline. However, Sparta took great satisfaction in setting their cloaks on fire as they ran away. Getting rid of the last of the soldiers, Driscol grabbed the boom box, and we took to the skies, bursting out of the cathedral and zapping it with our two outer heads.

Once we were satisfied that it was actually on fire, we set off towards where the slaves were kept- a long, low, wooden building on the outskirts of the city. Amara circled high above, keeping a lookout for any soldiers closing in on us, or Eragon and Brom. After we landed, we deposited the boom box and the three of us ripped off the wooden roof. We threw it over the city wall, revealing something that was quite on the mark for what we expected prisons in the Wild West to be like. A bunch of metal bars forming cells without any furniture in them except for tiny bowls that must have been for food and drink.

There were quite a lot of people here, about 200 from our quick count, most of them packed into the cells like sardines. As they saw us, most of them screamed and got as far away as possible from us, but a few others fell to their knees, gazing up at us. We didn't bother about their reactions, just worked on ripping the cages out of the ground and throwing them away with loud clangs.

As we liberated the last group, the mass of people crowded to the back of the room, apart from one kid who we guessed was about five or six. He laughed as he ran towards us, and we lowered our three heads so they were touching the ground. We smiled at him as a woman who we guessed was his mother ran after him. At least there was one person here that didn't think of us as a monster.

He stopped about a meter in front of Driscol, who kept stock-still and maintained eye contact with him. Tentatively reaching out his hand, the kid gently touched our centre head's nose and started rubbing it, making Driscol purr in satisfaction.

"Golden Guardian?" he said uncertainly.

"_Yes. That's us." _Driscol said, making the crowd of people gasp as the kid's mother reached him and pulled him back. "_We're getting you all out. Follow us, and keep close behind. We don't want to lose anyone."_

As Driscol introduced us, Sparta found Amara and asked. "_Cuz, which way is the city wall closest to us?"_

"_As the crow flies, or by being forced by the streets?"_

"_Streets, we guess. We don't want to flatten anyone innocent."_

"_Okay then. Turn right, and then go that way until you reach the second left."_

Amara-nav at the ready, we grabbed the boom box and lumbered off, the people behind us running to keep up as we crashed through the narrow streets. As we were on the city outskirts, we didn't encounter any resistance until we turned onto the long street that ended with a closing gate. Between us and the gate were about fifty soldiers, hardly an obstacle.

Charging up our gravity beams from Driscol and Sparta, we used our wings like shields, protecting the people behind us from a volley of arrows. A lot of them bounced off, but a few of them stuck in, although our rapid regeneration quickly pushed them out and closed the wounds. Then we returned fire.

Three blazing bolts shot down the street, striking the lead soldier and chaining through him, into his comrades. The whole battalion was quickly reduced to ash and melting armour, allowing us to advance to the gate and smash through it, the archway collapsing as we surged through it like a tsunami against a sea wall.

Clearing the rubble with swipes of our mace-like tails, we turned around to address the newly liberated people. "_This is where we leave. We've got you out. It's up to you to decide what you all do next."_

"But where do we go?" Someone asked.

"_We'd recommend Surda." _We said. "_There's a war brewing between the Empire and the Varden. If you want to stay out of it, go to Surda, or if you want to strike back against the Empire, find the Varden." _We quickly glanced at the sky. "_Whatever you do, don't stay here. Head into the forest for now and set up a temporary camp. We'll cover your tracks."_

There were a lot of nods, and as we took off, there was a cheer of "Golden Guardian! Golden Guardian!"

"_Y'know, I could get used to that._" Sparta grinned. "_Golden Guardian… it's a unique title to us, not to our form."_

"_I honestly enjoyed that." _Kevin said, still holding our boom box in his jaws. "_It was both fun, and we did a good deed."_

"_Yeah," _Driscol agreed, "_but now Galbatorix _definitely _knows about us and we clearly showed what side of the Rider War we're going to be on. We revealed ourselves to the Ra'zac, set fire to the cathedral, and disintegrated a few dozen soldiers."_

"_How do you guys feel about that?" _Kevin asked. "_This was the first time we took a human life. I fell like I should be guilty, but I'm not."_

"_I enjoyed it." _Sparta said bluntly. "_They would have tried to kill us, given the chance. Like Han, we just shot first."_

Driscol sighed. "_I dunno. I feel that it was justified, even if I'm not proud of what I had to do. We defended our charge, and we dispensed some liberty. It's unfortunate that we had to do what we did, but the good that came from it outweighs the bad."_

"_True." _Kevin sighed. "_But doesn't it feel like we're losing who we are? We've just proved that we're fine with killing people, and we've killed urgals, who are also sentient. I don't like where we're going at this rate. Will we be fine with killing our friends if we give into our instincts like in our fight with Felix?"_

Sparta thought about the situation. "_It won't come to that. If we think that we're slipping towards what our form is like, we can always get the Elders to send us to an empty realm or knock us into cryosleep. There's always options."_

Kevin nodded. "_True."_

Amara settled into formation beside us as we began to up the storm, rain beginning to pelt down by the bucket.

"Great weather we're having today!" She joked, making us look at her in a deadpan.

"_Just for that, we're going to make it hail."_

"You can't do that- OW! Argh! Stop it!"

We laughed as we flew on, our cousin cursing us for our 'stupid weather powers'.

* * *

**Snapshot #2B (Sorry! I forgot to do one last week!)**

"_Okay, so how do you wanna do this?" _We asked Jacob.

"We're gonna need me, you, a camera, and someone who's good with CGI."

"_Should we bring Darius on board?" _Kevin asked. "_He could pass as a Shadow with some special effects."_

"We could. I guess having more of us is a good thing. Then we can film in more realms too."

"_So do you want to film the lyrics before or afterwards?" _Sparta asked.

"Before. Then we can concentrate on choreographing how we're doing the action scenes."

"_Right. We'll go find a camera." _Driscol said.


	21. Chapter 21- Brom's Departure

**Author's note: By the status of my bookmark, we are halfway through **_**Eragon**_**! Thanks to all my RRFFers!**

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**In response to reviews:**

**the headless horseman of rome: Cade will eventually return to being a single entity, but I'm not gonna say when. Sorry for missing your question when it came through on my PMs.  
****Wizzer96: Thanks!  
****chris: No, Cade has now reached full Ghidorahness, so he will not mutate further. As for your question about him being able to become Monster X, no he won't be able to, as that's a different Ghidorah. Cade exclusively has the powers of the Monsterverse King G.  
****eragon95159: Sorry, but that won't happen. People who become Plainswalkers are rare, and Cade already has Amara there, so nobody else he knows would get to Alagaësia, or in the Locostral Multiverse in general.  
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**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

* * *

**Chapter 21: Brom's Departure**

As Amara and we flew on, the storm we had kicked up quickly worsened. We had evaded the hail, but lightning still speared through the sky, and rain hit us in the faces like it was coming out of a faulty fire hydrant. Still, we had the protective membranes over our eyes down, and blinking worked a lot like how windscreen wipers did, brushing off the water that spat in our faces.

As thunder boomed through the sky, Amare yelled "This is pointless! We're getting drenched, and I can barely see where I'm flying! Let's land and continue this on foot!"

We stared at her like she was mad, lightning flashing in the near-distance. "_Are you kidding? This is fine! Besides, the rain will just drip off your scales."_

"You're crazy, all three of you! I'm cold, wet, and your bag of stuff is weighing me down! Why am I even carrying it? This is your junk!"

A gust of wind hit us, knocking Amara a little of course as she glared at us. "_Fine."_ we conceded. "_We'll do things your way."_

"Good!"

We started to descend, Amara swooping towards the ground as we glided after her. She found a clearing that wasn't too mucky, landed, and looked up at us, hiding her heads under her wings.

As we angled towards her, we smelt ozone. With a loud _ker-zap_, lightning speared out of the sky, and struck us. We were fine, and welcomed the unexpected energy boost, but Amara shouted our name in fright as the bolt struck us. We ignored her, concentrating on absorbing the bolt's energy as we landed next to her, mud coating our feet.

"_Aw, man!" _Kevin groaned. "_We're gonna be muddy for days if we have to walk!"_

"You're... okay?" Amara asked us, confused.

"_Yup." _Sparta said plainly, completely unphased that we got struck by lightning.

"_This isn't the first time we've been struck by lightning." _Driscol said, taking our soggy bag from our cousin. "_Last time, it was more like we were on a sugar high, but since we used a lot of energy today, we just got charged back up to full power. It kinda tingles."_

Kevin stuffed our boom box back into our bag, and we started walking. The rain was blocking our ability to smell out our companions, but Amara had seen the direction our companions had headed in, so we vaguely knew which way we should go.

* * *

Over time, the storm started to lessen, slowly heading away as we stomped, splashed and pushed our way through the muddy forest. As darkness began to fall, the rain petered out, but the wind only grew stronger. It had grown from a whistle to a shriek to a howl, ripping around us.

"_Cuz, the rain's stopped." _Kevin said.

"_And we're worried about what the Ra'zac are doing to Eragon, Saphira and Brom." _Driscol added.

"_So we're going to fly now, whether you want to or not." _Sparta finished.

Amara looked skyward, then at her feet, which were up to ankle-level in mud. "Fine, you go. I won't risk flying in this wind though. I'll catch you up later."

We nodded and took off, grimacing at the mud that had caked itself on our wings. Eventually we reached a nice cruising altitude. Well, we thought it was nice. The wind probably would have knocked anything else out of the sky, but as we were the Death Song of Three Storms, we didn't have that problem.

After a few minutes of riding the gale, we opened our minds and scanning the surrounding area. There was a flare of the minds of animals, which we filtered out, focusing on anything sentient. We did find a few minds, all of them being travellers and merchants, so we widened our search to the limit of our mental capacity. We staggered in mid-air as we hit the hive of minds that was Dras Leona. There were just _so many_! Blocking them out, Kevin turned around to see if he could make out the city, but it was too hard to make out in the night. Still, where were our companions?

Slightly changing our strategy, we changed from searching for human minds to searching for dragon minds. Almost immediately, we encountered Saphira's consciousness, and we zeroed in on her position. She was about five kilometres away, in the middle of what we had labelled as 'The Badlands'. Flying out there didn't take too long. The Ra'zac were already there, and Saphira was muzzled and in chains while Eragon and Brom were lying on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs. We waited to make our move until the Ra'zac dragged Brom toward the centre of the camp and shoved him to his knees.

Brom sagged to one side as Eragon struggled, trying to get free. We began charging our Gravity Beams as the tall Ra'zac poked Eragon with a sword. It was when we saw the first of Murtagh's arrows that we opened fire, strafing the area with our golden bolts as we rapidly descended with angry roars.

The Ra'zac left pretty sharpish after that, although the taller one did fling a dagger at Eragon, just as it was told in the books. Brom threw himself in front of his son as we hit the ground with a wham, and the dagger plunged into the side of the old man's stomach. We roared at the servants of Galbatorix, promising death and destruction, but we didn't pursue them. We hang back, content to launch a few gravity beams around the general area the Ra'zac had fled in.

Eragon and Brom had both passed out, leaving us with Saphira and the still concealed Murtagh. We turned our attention to our fellow dragon. Fortunately, she was unharmed apart from being trussed up like a turkey.

Saphira looked at us gratefully and said "_Thank you" _as we snapped the chains restraining her apart, sending links of metal flying through the air.

As we wrenched the muzzle of her head and used a gravity beam to melt it into a gooey mush of metal, Saphira closed her eyes and pressed her head against our chest, her breath coming in irregular bursts. We didn't really know what to do, but we understood why she was acting like this. She was scared.

After a couple of seconds of hesitation, we pulled her into a hug, saying, "_It's okay. We've got you. You're safe."_

We stayed like that for a few minutes before Saphira eventually pulled away and checked on her rider. We let her go as we informed Amara about what had happened. Now all we had to do was look for Murtagh…

* * *

We eventually got things sorted out. We found Murtagh hiding behind a clump of bushes, and we basically just pointed at Eragon and Brom and growled. He got the gist of what we were trying to say. We could have hacked down his mental barriers, but we didn't want him to know how overpowered we were at that, and it would have been an invasion of his privacy, so we abstained from breaking in.

Murtagh made a fire as we assured Saphira that we could trust him. He also fixed up Eragon and Brom to the best of his ability, although we knew that Brom was done for. It was just a matter of time for him to… pass on.

Like with Garrow, we felt guilty about this. Even though it had happened in the books, we'd allowed it to happen in real life, even though we had the ability to stop it. We took the blame for this, and our only excuse was 'because it was important for the plot'.

* * *

A bedraggled and mud stained Amara joined us in the morning, which improved our mental state, and severely freaked out Murtagh until he made the connection between her and us. We talked with her briefly, and then flew off to find something for us all to eat. By the time we came back with food, Eragon was up and about.

Throwing a carcass each to Saphira and Amara, we walked over to him and plopped our final kill next to the fire.

"_How badly are you hurt?" _Driscol asked him. "_Give us a straight answer. Don't feel that you have to act tough."_

"As you'd say, I feel like shit." The young rider said grimly. "Murtagh says that I probably have some broken ribs and I'm lucky not to be coughing up blood."

"_Take it easy for the time being then." _Kevin said. "_We'll help however we can."_

Eragon nodded, and Sparta asked "_How's Brom?"_

"Not good." The young rider confessed. "I've healed the wounds on the surface, but I don't know how to fix whatever's damaged inside."

"_So what's the plan?" _Driscol asked.

"We move before the Ra'zac return with reinforcements."

"_Good plan." _Sparta agreed. "_When do we leave?"_

"As soon as we eat."

"_Roger that." _Kevin nodded.

* * *

By evening that day, we had relocated to the cave in the hill of sandstone. Amara and we had barely fit through the gap, although it was by choice for us. We wanted to display as little of our powers as possible to Murtagh, so we didn't bother changing size. Still, there wasn't much room left for our companions, and we slept in restlessly, each of us too close to each other for comfort.

* * *

In our newly worked out custom, one of us was always on watch while the other two slept. Therefore, it was no surprise that we saw the signs of Brom's feverous thrashing first. Alerting both Saphira and Amara, we stood guard over the cave's entrance, trying to be out of the way as Saphira nudged Eragon awake with her snout.

The young rider woke Murtagh, and the two of them held Brom down until he lay still, and carefully returned him to the rocky ledge he'd been sleeping on. As Eragon sighed and stretched, Brom's hand shot up and grabbed Eragon by the shoulder.

"You! Bring me the wineskin!" Brom said huskily, his voice horse.

"Brom, you shouldn't drink wine…" Eragon said hesitantly. "It'll only make you worse."

"Bring it, boy- just bring it…" Brom sighed, his hand going limp and slipping from Eragon's shoulder.

"I'll be right back- hold on." Ergaon said before sprinting to the saddlebags and rummaging through them in a panic. "I can't find it!"

Kevin gently nudged the wineskin over to the young Rider, who grabbed it with a nod and returned to Brom.

"I have the wine." Eragon said as Murtagh retreated towards the mouth of the cave to give them some privacy.

Brom groaned "Good… Now… wash my right hand with it."

"What?" Eragon asked.

"_Do whatever he tells you." _Sparta ordered. "_He hasn't got long left."_

Eragon nodded, and though he was confused, he followed Brom's command. After a while, a brownish dye rubbed off, revealing the gedwëy ignasia.

"You're a Rider?" Eragon asked him in shock. "Is Ghidorah your…"

"No... to both questions." Brom groaned, a faint smile on his lips as he saw our scandalised expressions. "Once upon a time, that was true… but no more. When I was young… younger than you are now, I was chosen… chosen by the Riders to join their ranks. While they trained me, I became friends with another apprentice… Morzan, before he was a Forsworn."

Cue Eragon gasping.

Brom continued, his voice barely more than a whisper. "But then he betrayed us to Galbatorix… and in the fighting at Dorú Areaba- Vroengard's city- my young dragon was killed. Her name… was Saphira."

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" Eragon asked him softly.

"Because… there was no need to." Brom said. "Sometimes… knowledge given before it is due… is more harmful than a thousand warriors. I am old, Eragon… so old. Though my dragon was killed, my life has been longer than most. You don't know what it is like to reach my age, look back, and realise that you don't remember most of it; then to look forward and know that many years still lie ahead of you… After all this time, I still grieve for my Saphira… and hate Galbatorix for what he tore from me."

His eyes drilled into Eragon's and he said fiercely "Don't let that happen to you. Don't! Guard Saphira with your life, for without her it's hardly worth living…"

"You shouldn't talk like this." Eragon said, worried. "Nothing's going to happen to her."

"_And we are bound by an oath in the ancient language to protect both of them."_ We said gently. "_Don't worry, Brom. We'll look after them."_

Brom nodded, then looked into Eragon's eyes with a piercing stare. "This… this is a grievous wound; it saps my strength. I have not the energy to fight it… Before I go, will you take my blessing?"

"Everything will be all right." The young Rider said, lying to himself. "You don't have to do this."

"It is the way of things." Brom said gently. "Will you take my blessing?"

Eragon bowed his head and nodded, overcome by his emotions. We could plainly see that he was only barely managing not to cry. Brom placed a trembling hand on Eragon's forehead and gave him his blessing before whispering several words of the ancient language into his ear.

That done, he closed his eyes and whispered "And now… for the greatest adventure of all…"

We took that as our cue. Connecting with Brom's mind more than we ever had before, we drew his consciousness into a mindscape replica of one of the strongest memories we had. Where we'd died.

It was evening here, the sun setting over the mountains as a campfire crackled behind us. Birds sang and chirped as the smell of smoke drifted away on a cool breeze. It was only us and Brom here though. None of our friends were in sight, even though the pickup truck was here, and the tents were up.

"_What is this place?" _Brom asked us.

"_This is a mental reconstruction of Glacier National Park, Montana, USA." _We replied. "_Where we died."_

"_Where you what?" _Brom said.

All three of us looked at Brom, staring him in the eyes.

"_You heard us correctly."_ Driscol said. "_We died here."_

"_And then we got blasted across the multiverse and landed in Alagaësia in this form." _Sparta added.

"_So you're… from a different world?" _Brom said, his mouth falling open.

"_Yes." _Kevin confirmed. "_We call it Earth."_

"_So you lied to us." _Brom said flatly. "_You said you were exiled from a land beyond the sea."_

Sparta grinned. "_Sometimes. Most often, we just manipulated the truth. We died. Death can be seen as an exile. We came from a different world. Obviously, a different world is from beyond the sea. We did try to be as straight with you as possible. Of course, there were times where we had to flat out lie to keep up the story."_

"_But… why?" _Brom asked. "_And why tell me now?"_

Driscol sighed. "_You wouldn't have believed us if we said we came from a different world. And at first, we thought we were stuck here, so we played it strategically. We changed our name to match our form. We manipulated our story, based it on truths from a certain point of view. It was only when we got to Teirm that we found out that we weren't alone here. And we found a way to travel the realms."_

"_There's someone else in Alagaësia from your… Earth?" _Brom said, surprised.

"_You've met them." _Kevin said. "_You remember Angela from Teirm? She's from Earth. So is Amara. And like us, neither of them looked like that before they got here."_

"_What?"_

"_We used to be human." _Driscol said. "_And our real name is Cade. Cade Mason."_

"_Cade…" _Brom mused. "_Hmm. I still don't understand why you're telling me all this."_

"_Because," _Sparta said, rolling his eyes, "_you're dying, and we want to tell you that your death isn't in vain. Where we come from, we have a lot of fiction. And each piece of that fiction represents a realm that really exists in the multiverse. Before we landed here, Alagaësia was just a place in a four-part book series centred around Eragon and Saphira. We've read all the books, and we're in the middle of the first one. Connect the dots."_

"_You…" _Brom stammered. "_You know the _future?_"_

"_And he gets it!" _Kevin said happily. "_Yeah, we know what's going to happen in general. We know that Eragon is your son. We know that you were going to die before it happened. We allowed it to happen."_

"_Why?" _Brom growled. "_I still have things to teach to both Eragon and Saphira!"_

"_Because we know that the Varden- namely Eragon and Saphira- are going to defeat Galbatorix." _Driscol said. "_We know of one way that that slimeball dies. If we modify events, we might destabilise everything here. We need to plan out all of the twists and turns this might take before we even think about trying to modify the future of this Realm. Our third priority is to make sure Galbatorix dies."_

"_And your first two priorities?"_

Sparta smiled. "_Defend this realm from the Shadows, and protect Eragon and Saphira. Shadows are basically really powerful, dark forces that like to wreck the multiverse. Don't worry though, we have stopping them covered. And after Ellesm__é__ra, Eragon and Saphira can take care of themselves. We're telling you this stuff because we wanted you to know that your death isn't in vain. The Eggbreaker does fall from his throne, and that's pretty much what you've been working for your whole life, right?"_

Brom nodded. "_That… I… Thank you. If Eragon and Saphira are with you, then they'll be safe. Just… please look after them. Promise me you'll do that."_

We smiled. "_Cross our hearts and hope to die."_

Brom raised an eyebrow.

"_We have two hearts, and three Heart of Hearts." _Driscol said. "_Nice backup system for if we all get decapitated."_

The old man nodded, and we stood up, ready to leave.

"_Any words of wisdom you have to share?" _Kevin smiled.

"_Any messages you want us to pass on?" _Driscol asked more gently.

"_Anything you want us to blow up?" _Sparta grinned.

Brom just sat and watched the sun set. "_No. I am content."_

"_Then may good fortune rule over you."_

"_And may the stars watch over you." _Brom said, gazing out into the valley.

"_And may peace live in your heart." _We finished as we pushed Brom and the mindscape into his own mind, and returned to reality as a great man slowly passed away.

* * *

**Snapshot #2C:**

The filming and editing was done. Jacob was happy with the result, Darius had had a good time exploring a new Realm, and we had found out that we made a great cameraman. So, Jacob's film was finished, and we were about to show it off. As our Clanmates gathered in the main room, Darius, Jacob and we were hiding on the ramp.

"Ready?" Jacob grinned at us.

"Yep." Darius whispered back.

"_Go for it!" _We smiled, and turned to watch as Jacob wirelessly switched on the TV and pressed play.

The backing music for the Pokemon theme started playing at full blast, and we sat back to watch the carnage as Jacob's voice started singing.

"I want to be the very best,  
Like no one ever was.  
To travel the realms is my real test,  
To defend them is my cause!"

The black background faded into a scene of Jacob going into the Rift, the camera following him.

"I will travel across the realms,  
Searching far and wide.  
Each Shadow to destroy  
The darkness that's inside!"

Jacob popped out of the Rift into the How To Train Your Dragon books, and started flying across Berk.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
It's you and me,  
I know it's my destiny!  
Plainswalkers!  
Oh, you're my best friend,  
In a realm we must defend!"

The camera cut to Darius, emitting a lot of smoke to give a shadow-like appearance as he climbed up to the top of a mountain and roared menacingly.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
A heart so true,  
Our courage will pull us through!  
You protect me and I'll protect you,  
Plains-walk-ers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
Gotta defend the realms!"

Our clanmates were watching in ever-increasing horror as the video continued to play, with Jacob's ear-flaps sticking up as he heard Darius's roar and turned to face the 'Shadow'.

"Every challenge along the way,  
With courage I will face!  
I will battle every day,  
To claim my rightful place!"

Jacob took off, heading towards Darius with a roar of his own.

"Come with me, the time is right,  
There's no better team!  
Arm in arm, we'll win the fight,  
It's always been our dream!"

Jacob got to the mountaintop, and roared at Darius, who did a really good job of an evil laugh before launching a ball of fire at him.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
It's you and me,  
I know it's my destiny!"

Jacob easily dodged and returned fire at Darius with some low-powered Plasma Blasts so he didn't hurt the bigger dragon. However, Darius pinned Jacob down with one paw, chuckling menacingly.

"Plainswalkers!  
Oh, you're my best friend,  
In a realm we must defend!"

Then we joined the fight with some very low powered Gravity Beams, having set the camera down on a tripod. Darius roared in mock pain, and lurched back, freeing Jacob.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
A heart so true,  
Our courage will pull us through!"

Jacob launched into the sky again, giving us a high-five before we turned towards Daris and grappled him.

"You protect me and I'll protect you,  
Plains-walk-ers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
Gotta defend the realms!"

Jacob and I started launching beams and bolts at Darius, who roared back and launched a jet of fire at us.

"Gotta defend the realms!"

We acted as a shield for Jacob, turning our back to Darius and spreading our wings out. The fire had hurt a little, but it wasn't much more than a hot sting.

"Gotta defend the realms!"

As the jet of fire ended, we slammed into Darius as Jacob distracted him, disabling his hold on the mountain.

"Gotta defend the realms!"

Darius snorted angrily and took flight, little embers and a big trail of smoke in his wake.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
It's you and me,  
I know it's my destiny!"

Jacob and we looked at each other and nodded before taking off in hot pursuit. The view switched to being from Jacobs perspective.

"Plainswalkers!  
Oh, you're my best friend,  
In a realm we must defend!"

We let out a loud cry, and lightning struck us as we grew into our maximum size and roared.

"Plainswalkers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
A heart so true,  
Our courage will pull us through!"

We let out three full powered Gravity Beams. On-screen, it looked like we'd hit Darius, causing him to explode, but that was just CGI. We cried in victory and landed, Jacob next to us. Then we shrank down to our regular size and gave him a fist-bump.

"You protect me and I'll protect you,  
Plains-walk-ers!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
Gotta defend the realms!  
Plains-walk-ers!"

As the video faded to black, a message came up saying: 'No Shadows were present in the making of this video, and no Plainswalkers were harmed. Credits: Jacob as Director, Lead Singer, Lead Actor and Secondary Cameraman. Cade as Lead Cameraman and Actor. Darius as an Actor. Created by Bluepeak Films.'

There was ten seconds of silence before Gem bellowed "JACOB!"

Jacob yelled "Cheese it!" and the three of us bolted as our Clan started to chase us across the city. Little did they know that we'd already uploaded the video to Locostral's section of Youtube, and there was no way in hell we were going to take it down.


	22. Chapter 22- Arming up

**With thanks to my patrons:  
****Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
****Wizzer96: Thanks!  
****chris: Will do.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: Yup. Brom's passed on. Guess that you don't really have to worry about getting lung cancer when there's the Ra'zac around.  
****Jmchipo11: Thank you! I had to look at the form you suggested. Kinda creepy, but I think it's doable for a cameo rather than a main character if that's okay. Stargate would work, as there are similarities between the Zerg and the Goa'uld, but getting him around would be a pain, as the Overmind is technically a building. (I'm using the wiki btw.) Instead of having a humanoid form (because of my dislike for shapeshifting for Plainswalkers), how about moving around like The Blob?  
****XXxxxadisxxxXX: Okay. I get that not everyone's gonna like my stuff, but thanks for being civil about it.  
****Dragonauthor: Doomslayer/Doom Guy as a Plainswalker? I can cameo him fairly easily, and no, he isn't too over the top. And yeah, more rocking and rolling is to come!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

* * *

**Chapter 22: Arming up.**

We didn't talk to anyone for the rest of that day. Brom had understood why we let him die, but we still felt guilty for allowing it to happen. We also missed him, even though we hadn't spent that much time with him. He was a good man, and a good teacher.

We buried Brom on the top of the hill, Eragon using magic to mould the sandstone into a tomb as Murtagh gently lowered Brom into it, placing his staff beside him and lying his sword on his chest, his hands holding the pommel. Amara had gone out to look for something to eat, so Saphira and I watched on as Eragon sealed the tomb and created a small spire of rock before setting runes into it.

The young Rider sank to his knees and wept there for a long time. Murtagh retreated back down to the cave after a while, leaving us free to shrink down to human size and give Eragon a hug. He clung to us as we rubbed his back comfortingly. We understood what this was like. We'd gone through it with our relatives. They were beyond our reach.

After a while, we gestured Saphira over and transferred Eragon to her. Even though we understood the overwhelming sense of loss Eragon was facing, she would know how to help him with it better than we ever could. Growing back to our regular size, we curled around the hilltop like a giant, golden snake. We watched our charges and thought about what to do next.

"_Do we just go along with the story then?" _Kevin suggested.

"_What else can we do?" _Sparta replied. "_We'll be fine with that. As for Murtagh, we need to decide what to do with him."_

"_Agreed." _Driscol said. "_The way I see it, he has to go to Galbatorix. Then he gets Thorn, and he knows the Name of Names, so he can help Eragon. We just need to decide how much we're willing to show him about us."_

"_The same we currently do for Eragon and Saphira." _Sparta decided. "_He'll see us showcase our powers, and besides we're still learning some of them. But he won't know that we're a Plainswalker."_

"_Do we have to let him go to Galbatorix?" _Kevin asked. "_I know that if we don't, then Thorn could hatch for someone else, but still. It's wrong of us to stand by and watch."_

"_We need Murtagh for the Name of Names and Thorn." _Driscol said. "_Those are the advantages he gives us. We're also going to have to train in our mental attacks and defence to be able to get through to him though. And when he gets the Eldunarí, it'll be even harder."_

Sparta suddenly grinned, a glint in his eyes. "_We can bug him."_

"_What?" _Kevin asked.

Driscol's eyes widened as he realised the implications. "_Sparta, you wonderful genius."_

Sparta's smug grin of pride widened. "_What can I say? Great minds and all that."_

Driscol butted him good-naturedly. "_We think alike because we're the same person, but yeah, it's a great idea."_

"_I don't follow." _Kevin said.

"_Well, young Padawan," _Sparta smirked, "_allow me to enlighten you. We need Murtagh, to get Thorn to hatch, and to get the Name of Names. After that, we can get him out. We won't be able to know when Murtagh gets the Name, as his mind will be heavily shielded, and every time we'll break into it-"_

"_Assuming we can do that."_ Driscol interjected.

"_-Yes, that's true," _Sparta acknowledged. "_Anyway, as I was saying, the more times we break in to check if he knows the name, the more Eldunari Galbatorix will give Murtagh to increase his mental defense and spell strength. However, if we bug Murtagh, preferably in his sleep so he doesn't know, we can get the name from when either Murtagh or Galbatorix say it. The Eggbreaker doesn't know about electronic devices."_

Kevin's eyes widened, and he smiled toothily. "_Oh my God. That is utter brilliance. I guess we need to go back to Locostral then?"_

"_Back to Locostral." _Driscol agreed.

"_And can we get Jaffa Cakes?"_

Driscol and Sparta stared at Kevin before we shrugged. "_Why not?"_

* * *

We hopped Realms the next day, leaving Amara 'on duty'. We had said to her that we had a plan, but we weren't going to share it to lessen the risk that someone could learn it through mind-hacking. She was more than a little grumpy because of that, but she eventually understood, agreeing to watch over Eragon and Saphira.

Islingr also requested to stay with Amara to oversee her breath abilities and help to fine-tune them. Honestly, with all the crap that had happened recently, we kinda forgot that she was still with us as she'd stayed pretty quiet. When we asked her why she hadn't said much recently, she replied that we had become our own best teachers, and that she knew very little of our abilities or strange biology, so she was unable to help. While that was a reasonable explanation, we were still a little miffed by her radio silence.

After we decided on bugging Murtagh the previous night, the three of us had started compiling a shopping list. We needed a bug, armour that was resistant to magic and could automatically resize to fit us, a sword for use while we were human-sized, and Kevin voted that we get a Thanos-like hovering chair, although Driscol and Sparta shot that idea down faster than we could blink. Where would we even put it?

Still, armed with our list and a lot of determination, we Rifted through to Locostral. Popping by Mount Bluepeak out of habit, we went into our room and emptied out our massive bag of stuff. The kid gloves were off, and this was war. We needed to dump some of this stuff.

In the end, we were left with our boom box, MultiForm, a couple of games, and three headsets. Those were all sorted into a small, fireproof bag marked 'Entertainment'. We didn't necessarily need this stuff, but we felt comfortable having it. Unfortunately, due to the 'Clash of the Titans', we were still on a jelly bean ban. Damn Regal and his stupid idea. Even Saphira, who didn't even know about our ban from the sweets, had refused to let us have any.

The rest of our stuff was mostly junk. There were a lot of sweet wrappers and things like that in there, but there were two or three items in there that we'd kept. The first was a small collection of golden scales that, for one reason or another, we'd lost. Then there were a few doodads that we'd found around the place, like an Alagaësian crown, which was basically a golden coin, a rusty helmet that we'd found by a long deserted campsite, and a few other things. Those all went on the shelves in our room.

There was also the infiltration robot that Spanners had built for us, as well as the transmitter/receiver for boosting the MultiForm's signal strength. We decided to take those with us to see if there were any improvements the Quartermaster could make to them.

On our way out of Bluepeak, we saw Gem and Paddles. Our Clan Leader seemed to be in more often than not these days, but seeing Paddles was a bit of a surprise. He was usually fairly diligent on protecting his Realm, only coming back to Locostral when he had to. However, he seemed severely freaked out by something, and was shaking nervously with Gem hugging him with one of her wings.

Our Clan leader looked at us and mentally said "_Kraken."_

"_We didn't know you could speak telepathically!" _Driscol said, shocked.

Our Clan Leader shrugged. "_Islingr taught me every time you guys came by. I can do words and pictures now. It's more useful than I thought it would be._"

Sparta smiled. "_But can you defend yourself?"_

"_Not yet." _Gem confessed. "_But I'm working on it."_

"_Well, good luck." _We said before we launched ourself out the window and into the sky.

* * *

We landed outside of Spanners' workshop and knocked on the large roller door. From inside, there was a loud clanging noise, a loud curse, and a cry of "Be there in a minute!"

We waited until Spanners rolled up the door before saying "_Hi. Can we come in? We have a tech problem for you."_

"Sure." Spanners said, waving us in.

At the back of the workshop was a large mass covered by a patchwork of cloth. It was surrounded by various ladders and platforms, and it smelled of oil and metal. Wondering what was under it, we slowly strolled in, careful to avoid any patches of oil or lubricant on the floor.

She closed the door behind us. "I heard that something weird happened to your brain. I honestly don't give a shit, so I'm not gonna act like anything's different. Unless you're so screwed up that my project for you won't work, that is."

"_You have a project involving us?" _Kevin asked, surprised.

"That wasn't why you came." Spanners said. "You're going to tell me what your problem is, and I'm going to listen while I make coffee and have a donut. I might share what I'm doing after that."

"_Okay then." _Sparta said. "_We have three things we need."_

"Shoot." Spanners said, putting a kettle on to boil.

"_First off," _Driscol announced, "_we need to bug someone."_

One of Spanner's eyebrows rose. "I'm interested. Who? Not another Plainswalker?"

Kevin shook his head. "_Nope. Ever heard of Murtagh?"_

"The Red Rider?"

"_That's him, but he isn't under Galbatorix's influence yet. We need to plant a bug on him so we can get the name of magic in the Ancient Language."_

Spanners grinned at us as she pulled a donut out of a bag and started to munch on it. "Well you're a sly dog, aren't you?"

"_I aim to please." _Sparta chuckled.

"That's certainly doable." The quartermaster said, returning her attention to the kettle. "How long of a range of time are we talking here for functionality?"

"_About a year maximum just to be safe." _Driscol said.

"And how far away would it have to transmit?"

"_To us from wherever Murtagh is." _Kevin said.

"So it would either have to have an excessively long battery life, or be powered by body heat or something… It would have to be on him at all times and evade detection, as well as have a powerful transmitter, and some kind of storage device on the other end to be updated with the information, and a search algorithm to look for the word. Hmm, I could get it to send out to the… yeah, that'd work. Could it be on the inside of his body?"

"_What?_"

"Could you inject him with it like microchipping a pet? Then it both hides the thing from detection, and he'd have it on him at all times."

"_That'd work…" _Sparta said. "_But wouldn't the scale you'd have to work at be so small it would be impossible?"_

Spanners fixed us a glare. "When speaking of engineering here, 'impossible' isn't a word in our vocabulary. There's 'inefficient' and 'impractical', but never 'impossible'. I can easily whip something up and shrink it down using Pym particles. No biggie."

"_Coooooool." _Kevin said, drawing out the word.

"So, item two on the list?" Spanners asked, pulling the kettle off it's heater and pouring the contents into a mug.

"_Armour." _Sparta said. "_We want it to be able to resist magic, and to be able to resize with us wearing it."_

Spanners clicked her tongue. "Can't help you there kid. That's magic- not my department."

"_So who can we talk to about that?" _Driscol said.

"I know a guy." Spanners said. "He's a personal friend, name's Iorek. He works as a smith, but he likes a quiet life. You'll have to travel north, out of the city if you want to find him."

"_Iorek as in Iorek... Byrnison?" _Kevin sputtered.

"Yup." Spanners said. "Problem?"

Kevin and Driscol shuddered, but Sparta stayed firm. "_We were killed by a b… a bear, so meeting a giant one in armour made from a metal from a meteorite isn't going to go well."_

Spanners sighed as she sipped her coffee. "Fine. I'll go with you. I need a break, really. And the last thing?"

"_A sword." _Driscol said.

The quartermaster spun around to face us. "You ever been to the Armoury?"

"_What? We have an armoury?"_

"_Where?"_

"_I'm going to like this."_

* * *

We followed Spanners through the streets of Locostral. The infiltration bot was back at her workshop, forgotten. Some people glared at us because of the damage we caused in our recent battle with Felix, but most went about their business as usual. They walked into restaurants, apartment buildings, parks, some of them arm in arm.

"_What are relationships here like?" _we asked as we saw a couple exchange a brief kiss.

"A lot more accepting and longer lasting than from back on Earth." Spanners said. "Appearance and whether you can make out or not doesn't matter to most of us, given that none of us look how we used to, and a good deal of us aren't human. Instead, it's a match of personalities that determines if two of us are compatible. At least, that's how I see it. I don't pretend to know how love works."

We nodded. "_And do people have relationships with people in the Realms they guard?"_

"Not nearly as often, but it does happen. Mortality is often a problem."

"_Why?" _Kevin asked. "_We're immortal. So- Oh, you mean for the people who aren't Plainswalkers, don't you?"_

Spanners nodded. "Yeah. Having them die leaves the Plainswalker heartbroken. Then they either mope around for eternity, or they get their **** together."

We smirked. This was why we liked Spanners. She was brutally honest and always got to the point.

A few minutes later, a black dragon and a red T-Rex with long arms and hands like a human tore past me, both of them laughing insanely as they tore around the corner in front of us. After them chased a tall figure that was wrapped in so much tape that he looked like an ancient Egyptian mummy. His sharky head still showed, and he was hopping after the scaly duo, cursing at them in a variety of languages as a human and a blue Pokemon of some kind followed after him.

"Gabe, slow down and we'll get you out!"

"Yeah! Well, I don't have hands, but stop and we'll free you!"

We decided to intervene by slicing a claw down the middle of the poor guy's bonds, liberating him from the tape.

He glanced at us, uncaring of our appearance. "Thanks. Now if you excuse me, I have some flying lizard brats to murder. No offence meant."

"_None taken." _We smiled. "_Good luck."_

He nodded, then charged off after the duo, who screamed and did the smart thing and took to the sky, the T-Rex flicking wings out of his back. The Pokemon flew after them in hot pursuit as the human stopped, panting. The sharky Plainswalker leapt into the air, grabbing hold of the black dragon's tail. There was an unmanly scream and a lot of shouting as the group disappeared behind a skyscraper.

The human looked up at us strangely. "You seem… familiar. Have we met?"

"_I don't think so."_ Driscol said. "_We're fairly new around here."_

"Hmm. I just have this feeling. Anyway, if you want to talk sometime, call me. I'm Wolf."

"_Kevin."_

"_Driscol."_

"_And I AM SPARTA!"_

Driscol quickly stopped Sparta from kicking over a car, and we started to walk off as our right head scowled.

"_Sorry Wolf, but we'd better go before we start fighting ourselves." _Kevin said as Driscol and Sparta started headbutting each other.

Wolf smiled before dashing off. "See ya!"

* * *

Five minutes later, we were standing in front of a door as Spanners inserted her key into a slot and twisted. It was a door that had a first layer of titanium that slid upwards, into the ceiling. A door that had a second layer of adamantium, which split apart and drew back, into the walls. A door that had a third layer of vibranium, which separated into three triangular segments and folded away, revealing a tunnel flanked by row upon row of turrets.

"Come on." Spanners said as lights flared inside the tunnel.

We followed the quartermaster down the hallway, then stepped into a room with a large pad on the floor. It was brightly lit, with a lot of computers and flashing lights around the room.

"You might want to shrink down for this." Spanners said as she tapped a code into a pad. "The teleporter doesn't really like stuff that's too big for it. Bits tend to be left behind."

We gulped nervously and followed her advice, shrinking down to the size of a human and making sure we were in the middle of the pad.

Spanners stepped next to us and said "Energize", causing the thing to activate with a noise that was almost exactly the same as in Star Trek. We felt a wrench in our stomach, and fought the urge to throw up as we were yanked out of existence.

We materialized in an almost identical room, and stumbled off the pad as our body tried to cope with what just happened.

"_Why all the security?" _Driscol asked as our heads slowly stopped spinning. "_And why the teleporter?_

"This is the Armoury, a vault where we keep all manner of gear." Spanners explained as she gave us time to recuperate. "Most of it is weaponry, although we do have some vehicles and utility equipment here like active camouflage units, energy orbs and elemental shields. We have to keep it locked and under strict watch to make sure that nobody breaks in and takes something. There are both technological and magical defenses here, as a lot of this stuff has the potential to destroy worlds. If a rogue Plainswalker got in here and started blasting, then we'd have a hard time stopping them."

Sparta was practically drooling at the idea of so much firepower. "_Do you also store vehicles here?"_

"No. They're locked up in the Garage. We'll swing by later and get a spaceship or something to go North. Now come on. I may have all day, but I'm not going to spend it standing around."

"_You have a garage full of Spaceships?"_ Kevin asked. "_That's awesome."_

Spanners nodded as we started walking again. This hallway had a space-station like feel to it, with clean chrome walls and metal struts holding up the ceiling on either side of the corridor. It was big enough to easily drive two cars side by side down it, and there were windows in the left-hand wall.

Poking Kevin towards them, he looked out of it for us. It was fairly easy to see out of, and we could vaguely make out some kind of undersea world. Crabs scuttled over sand, colourful coral reefs provided home to multitudes of fish, and in the distance, we could make out a massive silhouette of an enormous shark.

"_Is that…?" _Sparta asked.

"Riley." Spanners said. "The poor girl watched The Meg before she died. Now she's restricted to the ocean, and we brought her here, which was quite the challenge, and required a telepath to talk to her and explain the situation. As you can probably gather, the Armoury is underwater, so we asked her if she wanted to guard it for us. She accepted, and she lives around here now."

"_Can we…" _Kevin asked.

"Go ahead." Spanners said. "She'll welcome the company."

We prodded our awareness out into the sea, and quickly connected to the mind of our fellow Plainswalker. Not entirely sure what to do, we tried the mental equivalent of knocking on a door and waiting for a response.

"_Hello?" _Came the almost immediate response.

"_Hi." _Kevin said. "_How's it going?"_

"_Not bad." _The dark shape replied. "_I'm a little bored, but I'm surviving. I'm Riley by the way, but you probably already knew that."_

"_Yeah." _Sparta said. "_Spanners was just telling us about you, and we thought we'd introduce ourselves."_

"_There's more than one of you?" _She said, surprised.

"_Consciousness triplication." _We said in unison.

"_That feels really weird when you all speak at once…" _Riley said.

"_We've been told that a lot." _Driscol groaned.

"_So we'll try to speak one at a time." _Sparta said.

"_Thanks. So what's your name, where are you from, and what do you look like?"_

"_Collectively, we're Cade." _Kevin explained, "_But individually, I'm Kevin, and my… other selves are Driscol and Sparta. We're from Montana, USA, and we have the form of the Monsterverse King Ghidorah."_

"_Oh, that'd explain why you have three voices then. Mind if I just call you Cade since I can't see which of you is which?"_

"_Go for it." _Driscol said.

"_Thanks. So what realm do you patrol?"_

"_Well, we…"_

Kevin took command of the conversation as we eventually reached a large airlock-like structure in the wall. Spanners put her hand on a panel next to it which scanned her palm and beeped happily. The airlock opened, revealing only darkness on the other side.

Spanners gestured us inside and flicked a switch. Floodlights from high above activated one by one, bathing the room in a warm glow. The space was about the size of an aircraft hangar, and it was filled to the brim with rack upon rack of melee weapons of every kind. There were swords, spears, whips, hammers, shields, axes, knives, gauntlets, pikes, staffs, and even more, all of them gleaming majestically.

"_Woah." _Driscol said.

Sparta had his mouth open. "_I think I'm in heaven."_

"Come on then," Spanners said, rubbing her hands together, "let's find something you like!"

* * *

The next hour or two consisted of us wandering around the sword section of the room, trying out and rejecting various swords. After a while, we got bored, and wandered off into the hammers section to see if there was a Mjolnir there and if we could lift it. Spanners dragged us back to the swords section after that.

"_There isn't anything here that fits us!" _Driscol said in exasperation. "_None of them feel right when we hold them!"_

Spanners was polishing a lightsaber hilt and didn't bother to look up at our outburst. "Have you tried mentally searching for the weapon? Like the wand choosing the wizard in Harry Potter, sometimes the weapon chooses the wielder, and some of these things are sentient. Some of them are the real deal too, as we recover them after their user no longer needs them, or they were left behind and never reclaimed. Seek out your weapon. One of them will choose you."

That kinda made sense. Focusing, we spread our awareness around the room, and came into contact with several… not exactly minds. They didn't have the level of sentience that we had. Most of them turned hostile and shielded themselves, but there were some of them that stayed neutral, not yet ready to decide if they wanted us to use them or not. However, among this throng of grumpy blades, there was one sword that stood out.

We followed it's call, passing by a rack of shurikens and turning right after a large lance. We then ambled up to where a katana was held up on a stand and turned left, stopping in front of a large, black box the size of a lower arm with a lock in it.

"_Can you open this one for us?" _Sparta asked Spanners. "_It's calling us."_

"Right."

The quartermaster quickly appeared beside us, slotted her Plainswalker key into the lock, and turned it. The lock fell away, and the box lid flipped open, revealing a golden gauntlet. Its fingers ended in claws, and a dagger was sheathed in it, near where an arm would go in it.

Spanners smiled at us. "I can see why this one wants you. You'll do well together."

"_Is it a real one, or just a replica?" _Kevin asked, breaking off from his conversation with Riley.

"It's a replica with the powers of the original." Spanners said, unsheathing the knife and handing it to us. "You won't be able to wear the claw shield, but it's part of the set, so we'll take it with us. Now this, you might be able to identify if you're a fan of 80s cartoons."

We looked at the dagger, and turned it over in our claws. It was just as clean as any of the other weapons here, and maybe twice as shiny. A red circle lay just above where the handle reached the crossguard. A small, orange ellipse lay in the centre of it, touching the top and bottom of the circle but not the sides, resembling an eye.

"_Oh yes!" _Sparta said gleefully, recognising the weapon.

We changed our grip so we were holding the knife like a sword, and we slashed to the right. The knife extended a little, the guard curling. We swung to the left and the blade grew longer, the guard curling into its final position. We cut down the middle, and the blade grew to full length, the eye replaced by a snarling head of a lion.

Sparta laughed in joy. "_This is perfect! The Sword of Omens! It can shoot lightning, make shields, do a more powerful version of scrying, and can come to the wielders hand when they call for it!"_

"_A sword that shoots lightning?__" _Driscol smiled. "_We must have lucked out_."

"And that's not all." Spanners said. "That thing will also allow you to call the rest of us if there's a Shadow attack. You know the command?"

"_Thundercats, ho?" _Kevin asked.

"Replace Thundercats with Plainswalkers." Spanners said. "But yes, essentially. Now come on! We've wasted enough time here already. Time to see about your armour!"


	23. Chapter 23- Armour and the bear

**Author's notes: THE STORY HAS MORE THAN 100,000 WORDS! WOOOO! To celebrate: DOUBLE UPLOAD! As a quick warning, I have work experience coming soon, which might interfere with my writing, so there could be a lack of an update for two weeks, starting around the 23rd of March. Can I get some reviews please? (They're like sweets to us writers. We always want more.)**

**With thanks to my patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
dragonauthor: No if he's just a cameo appearance, but yes if you want to make him a recurring character like Spanners, who isn't part of the Bluepeak Riftwalkers (since they're all creatures). Ideally, go for the same format what we have on the Dis-cord (damn you, FanFiction) roleplay server. (Yeah, we have a RP server for the Locostral multiverse, which someone dubbed the Riftiverse, so we're calling it that. Guess forgot to mention that. If anyone is interested, it's a partner server for the link I have in my profile. You can get to it through that.) You need to have:  
-Name  
-Age when they died  
-Form  
-About (Personality, history, summary of their death)  
-Abilities  
-Strengths (what they're good at)  
-Weaknesses (what they're bad at)  
Man4God: Hello again, and thanks so much! I don't pretend to know anything professional about writing, but thanks for your compliment!  
MoosHeadFamLit: Yes there are. That's why there's so much security. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

**Thanks to Wizz from the Discord server for beta reading. I liked the part where we had a 5 minute discussion and a lot of internet searches about whether Deathwing had thumbs.**

* * *

**Chapter 23: Armour… and the bear.**

After shrinking our new blade back down to the size of a knife, we sheathed it in the claw shield and followed Spanners back through the complex. We said a quick goodbye to Riley and hopped on the teleporter, going back to Locostral city. Then we headed to the 'Garage'.

As it turned out, there was a trend in Locostral of giving really cool places really crappy names. The Garage was one of them. It was a gigantic cavern carved out of the rock underneath the city, with massive, metal columns rising through it to support the roof. Docked to these columns were aircraft and spaceships of all shapes, but they were mostly on the small side. We didn't see anything much bigger than a space shuttle. Quickly glancing around the room, we saw that all the ships were (predictably) from different realms.

However, we didn't use any of them. Spanners pulled us down a large, rocky tunnel that lead to another cavern. This cave was much smaller than the last one, only housing about a dozen ships. The floor was a metal mesh, with various pipes and ducts running under it and connecting to the assorted crafts.

"_So why are we taking one of these ships?" _Driscol asked.

Spanners pulled out a set of car keys and clicked the 'unlock' button. From the back of the hangar, lights activated, and an engine that sounded like it should have been in a muscle car fired up.

"Because one of them is mine." The quartermaster said. "Come on. You're lucky I have a ship that seats two."

We followed her to the back of the room, smelling something resembling diesel, but much more potent. Spanners jogged ahead to a small console and started pressing buttons as we looked over the ship. It looked a lot like an X-Wing Starfighter, but it had space in the cockpit for two people, and it has seven engines instead of the usual four. Flapping to land on top of it, we saw that instead of an astromech unit in the small space for a droid, there was a closed hatch.

"_What is this thing?" _Kevin asked.

Spanners didn't bother to look up. "It's a Tandem X-Wing. You'll be surprised to find that its actually a canon vehicle. I just replaced where you're supposed to put a droid with extra cargo space for my tools and made a few other changes."

"_Then how are you supposed to go to light speed if you have no droid?" _Sparta said, confused.

"Microscopic supercomputers."

"_Naturally."_

"Now get in. I don't know how your tails will cope with a chair, but you'll have to deal with it."

"_So why aren't we taking a bigger ship?" _Driscol asked. "_Or whatever regularly takes people places around here."_

"Because those ships are for losers. Now get in and stop your whining."

We grudgingly did as she asked and clambered into the cockpit's rear seat. Almost instantly, our tails became a problem. Seats were now our new worst enemy. Still, the issue was solved by shrinking down so we were small enough to curl up on the soft, leather version of a flight seat.

Spanners climbed into the front seat, slipping a white and red rebel helmet over her head. "You still got the sword and claw shield?"

"_Where our feet should go, yes."_

"Good. There's a screen built into my headrest and headphones in the seat pocket if you want to watch a movie or listen to some music. And don't you dare make me stop so you can pee. This trip isn't going to have stops."

"_Jeez." _Sparta said. "_You're worse than our mom."_

"_Are there snacks?" _Kevin asked.

"No."

"_Aww."_

"Now shut up so I can take off without you yammering on inside my head. And be careful you don't hit the eject button instead of the seat warmer. You can fly, but it'd eject me too, and I'd rather not have to ride you back to the city."

We did as we were told, Sparta and Kevin looking out the windows as Driscol retrieved the headphones and flicked the screen on. We weren't brave enough to find and press the seat warmer button though. The ship started to rise off the ground, gaining a good amount of height before the landing gear retracted and we accelerated down a long shaft, rings of light flicking past us.

Then we shot out of the tunnel, which turned out to be concealed behind a waterfall. While cool, that must have made it a pain to pilot ships back in. You'd have to be very careful not to crash. Still, we were away, and that was all that mattered. We were away, and going to visit a bear. All three of us shuddered. Hopefully he'd understand.

As heavy rock blasted through Driscol's headphones, we tried to relax and sit back and enjoy the ride in our first spaceship. But we failed miserably.

At first, we distracted ourselves by admiring our new weapon. The Sword of Omens was beautiful, even in its sheathed form. The Claw Shield was pretty cool too, but we idly wondered if we could somehow incorporate it into our armour. That would be cool. However, we barely fended off our boredom and anxiety for fifteen minutes before they struck again.

"_Should we check what the responses to our announcement on the Discord server were?" _Kevin asked.

Driscol hung his head. "_I shouldn't have posted that."_

Sparta growled at him. "_We all know that, so we might as well check and do damage control."_

Driscol sighed, but we used the screen in Spanners' headrest to connect to Locostral internet. Accessing our account, we logged in and surveyed the results of our dumbassery.

There had been a long debate between our five friends about whether our account had been hacked, or if we'd ever given our password out to one of them who was playing a prank on the rest of them. That was followed by a lot of swearing before Jack eventually got the server under control and told them to shut it and see what happened. Of course, that didn't happen, and there were a lot of wild theories being suggested, the most interesting being one where we were still alive and in some government lab, and that there had been a fake body lowered into a grave at our funeral.

"_So what do we do?" _Driscol asked. "_The gang knows something's up."_

"_Do we have to do anything?" _Sparta said. "_Give it a few weeks and they'll pass this off as a weird occurrence."_

"_But it would cut off our last connection with Earth." _Kevin argued. "_We'd be isolated- alone."_

"_We'd have our clanmates." _our right head snarled. "_We need to accept that what's happened to us is permanent. We can't be human. We can't go to Earth. We need to accept that."_

Driscol thought the problem over. "_We do. But that doesn't mean we have to cut ourselves off. As long as we swear our friends to secrecy, nobody else will have to know."_

"_But… Mom and Dad?" _Kevin said. "_Should we…"_

"_We aren't listening to me!"_ Sparta shouted. "_Think strategy! This is a stupid idea and we know it! We don't want to get reattached to our family and friends. We've already accepted that we've lost them. We've already let go. Reattaching ourselves to the situation is asking to have an emotional breakdown when they die. We're immortal. They aren't. It's only a matter of time before they go, and I don't want to be moping around for days afterwards."_

Kevin glared at Sparta. "_You cold-hearted bastard."_

Driscol shook his head. "_No, Sparta's right. Remember what Angela said? We're dead to them, and we died saving their lives. Let them remember us like that. Telling them what really happened… bad idea."_

Sparta nodded. "_So… we make our decision permanent?"_

"_Yes." _Driscol said. "_We delete our accounts and use new ones for here in Locostral."_

Kevin looked down in sadness. "_I suppose it's… for the best."_

"_Yeah." _Driscol said gently. "_We remember how things used to be, and we cherish the memories we have of that time, but we have to accept facts and let go. We aren't meant to mix our two worlds."_

"_Fine." _Kevin said. "_But promise me that if we ever get back to Earth, we say one last goodbye. In person."_

We glanced at each other and came to a decision. "_We will."_

* * *

Three hours and two movies later, we finally arrived. The X-Wing descended towards a large log cabin on the edge of a forest with an ice-covered lake nearby. The trees were snow-capped evergreens, proudly rising through a chilly mist. Next to the cabin was a large stone building, capped by a slate roof which protected it from the heavy snowfall.

"We're here." Spanners said as the craft lowered, touching down in the snow.

The cockpit opened, letting in a gust of cold air. Spanners shivered slightly, but we weren't bothered. Cold weather didn't really seem to affect us any more, but we could still sense it. It was similar for warmth, but not the same. Courtesy of Darius, we found that we could still get burnt, it was just that the temperature necessary for that to happen was now much higher than it used to be.

We hopped out, growing to about Jacob's size. If we were going to meet a bear, then we wanted to be on more than equal footing with it. Spanners pressed a button, and a ladder slid out of the ship's side and extended towards the snow-covered ground. The quartermaster slid down it, her boots crunching in the snow when she hit the ground.

"Follow me." She said while starting to walk towards the stone building.

* * *

The building turned out to be a forge. It was large enough for us to move around it unhindered, although that did make sense, given that it's owner was an armoured bear. Along one of the walls was a massive rack of tools, some of which we could identify, but most were a mystery. On the other side there were a few workbenches, an anvil, and a smouldering fire, along with a giant mass of white fur who was engraving designs into his armour.

We stood shock-still, fighting off the waves of panic that were rising higher and higher, threatening to flood our mind. Flashes of lights and sounds from our last human memories superimposed themselves over our view of the world. Claws, teeth, a roar that shook us to the core.

Sparta got us through it. He led us, mentally snarling at the memories as he forced them down until the real world resurfaced around us again. Our claws had stabbed through the floor, and our muscles had locked up, anchoring us in place as we fought with the rush of sensations. Relaxing slightly, we looked at the giant bear. He and Spanners were looking at us, concern on their respective face and muzzle.

"_Sorry." _we grunted, pulling our claws out of the floor. "_Flashback."_

"Of your death?" The bear asked. His voice was deep, but emanated a feeling of safety. He also had a vaguely Scandinavian accent, but we couldn't place it.

We nodded, trying not to meet his eye.

"And I presume from your reaction to me that it was a bear that did it, right?"

We nodded again.

"Hmm. That's a problem we'll have to resolve before we start our work."

"_Our?" _Driscol echoed.

"Yes." The bear said. "Do you know what my form is from?"

Sparta nodded. "_You are Iorek Byrnison; a panserbjørn, or an armoured… an armoured… bear."_

"Yes. You recall what my armour is to me, then?"

"_It's your soul." _Kevin said. "_Just as we have Eldunarí that are our souls."_

The bear nodded. "Your soul is not yours if someone else gives it to you. Neither is your armour. A sword or a gun, those are weapons. You can change which ones you wield, and how you wield them. But armour is sacred to you. It is unique, and is made specifically to fit you, and nobody else. You have to be the one to create it if you want to be the one to wear it."

"_So you're going to teach us how to make armour?" _Sparta asked. "_Won't that take, like… forever?"_

The bear shook his head. "You will be the one designing and making your armour, but I will help you to create it. For example, you will hold a hammer while I point at where you need to swing it at. This will not be beyond your abilities. Now, I believe that you will have specific requirements for this armour?"

"_Yes." _Driscol said. "_We can change our size from that of a hatchling to the size of our form on the big screen, about 160 meters tall. We need our armour to resize itself with us. We also need it to be conductive of electricity and protect us from magic."_

The bear glanced at Spanners. "You were right, this will be tricky."

Spanners nodded. "He somehow resizes himself by utilising a Riftheart-like ability. I don't know if we could lay something into the metal to detect the energy surge and use some bit of magic to grow and shrink accordingly, but something like that seems to be the simplest solution."

The bear shook his head. "There are certain alloys that, when forged properly, react to Rift energy on their own. I can lay seams of that into the metal, and it will react accordingly when he channels Rift energy."

"Are there any downsides to that?" Spanners asked.

The bear shrugged. "If glowing orange is a downside, then yes. As for conductivity, that's much simpler. It's the protection from magic that will be a problem."

"I'm not sure if you know, but there have been several tests on that sort of stuff." Spanners said. "Depleted uranium held up fairly well. It's used as tank armour back home, and golden boy here can absorb radiation like a sponge, and he's muscly enough to deal with its weight. There would need to be additional enchantments on it, but I don't think that would be much of a problem in the construction process."

"Agreed." The bear said, turning to us. "So, depleted uranium armour with inlays of Rift-sensitive alloys. Any objections?"

"_You had me at depleted uranium." _Sparta smiled.

The bear grinned and held out a paw. "Good. I'm Iorek."

We gingerly shook it. "_Collectively, we're Cade."_

* * *

It was a day later when we finally completed the design for our armour. It consisted of a lot of large, metallic red plates, each of them slightly overlapping the next from our heads to our tails. Every plate had a golden border to it which was made from the Rift-sensitive alloy. They covered everything except for our wings and the mace-like ends to our tails, and hindered our mobility as little as possible.

For our helmets, we'd taken inspiration from the mechanised counterpart of our form. Our headgear would have a green visor that could slide down over our eyes, giving us a heads-up display that we could use to survey a battlefield and see where our allies were, provided that they had special transponders that Spanners was now working on. Another handy thing was an altimeter, which would allow us to see exactly how far away we were from the ground while flying.

Iorek had said that my form made it impossible for us to wear the Claw Shield that acted as the Sword of Omen's sheath. Given the abilities I needed my armour to have, it would be exceedingly difficult for us to re-work the Claw Shield so we could wear it together with the armour. Still, we were going to keep hold of it anyway as the sword and the Claw Shield were a set, after all.

After we finished the design, it was time to use foam blocks to create a mockup of the armour. We stood still while Iorek cut out foam slabs and laid them over us. Soon, it just turned into a test to see how long we could hold still with the armoured bear in such close proximity without screaming like little girls and running for our lives. Spanners tried to keep us distracted, but it wasn't easy. Memories of our death kept surfacing. The pain of our stomach being ripped open. The dread of knowing the one inevitable outcome. The sense of hopelessness.

Still, we managed to survive until the metals arrived, which took a few days. Iorek superheated the forge, gave us a hammer, and literally said "Hit it when and where I say". So we basically just whaled on the glowing depleted uranium until he told us to stop, which was kind of fun. Before long, we had the first plate of armour done. Then Iorek showed us how to apply the Rift-sensitive alloy around the edge of the armour plate, and we merged the two metals together.

"_Can we try it on?" _We asked eagerly as Iorek quenched it in a metal dustbin full of icy water.

"Not yet. It still has to cool, and we need to create a framework to lock the plates together as armour. Wait for the finished result."

We were a little put out, but we followed his advice. We started to forge more plates. The constant contact with Iorek helped our nerves, and by the end of day four, we were completely at ease in his presence, the memories fading from a flood to a trickle. As it turned out, forging our armour wasn't just for our physical protection. By being around Iorek so much during the creation of it, we were recovering from our phobia too.

It took us another few days to finally have every plate done, and then we had to help Spanners with the electronics in the helmets as Iorek tinkered around with the framework to hold the plates together.

On a whim, we asked Spanners whether we could get a thermal imaging mode, allowing us to see targets at night. She nodded, and so we added some cameras into the helmets and inserted a system that would show the information on our visors when we engaged the mode. While we were human, we never really had much experience with circuits apart from taking the casing out of an X-Box and replacing the cooling fan, but we seemed to do okay, all things considered. The thing worked, and all we had to do to turn the system on was to pull one of the visors down.

After that was done, we helped Iorek figure out how to connect the armour pieces while Spanners made the signal transponders and the bug we'd asked for. Once again, we had to go through the process of standing still and letting Iorek mount the armour on us.

Wearing the full set felt amazing. Our helmets covered the tops and sides of our heads, with holes for our noses and eyes. We hadn't bothered with having armour on our lower jaws, as it would have got in the way when we wanted to use our gravity beams or just bite something. Small, scale-like plates flowed down our necks from behind our helmets. A large series of plates covered our chest and back, giving them protection, but leaving our wings free to move.

Our legs were fully armoured, plates covering them from every angle apart from our taloned feet. We had left them out so we could freely grapple with an opponent and sense what we were stepping on. There was a sheath for our blade on our upper left leg, allowing us to draw it with our clawed hand. That would hopefully help make the sword resize along with the armour too. Finally, the armour flowed down our tails until the mace-like ends, leaving them free to smash and bash our enemies.

Each component had a good range of motion to it and slightly overlapped the one behind it, allowing us to move around easily. It was obviously heavy, but we could easily deal with the extra weight, and when we asked Spanners to attack us with our sword, it held up without a dent, which we were rather pleased with.

Then came the real test; whether it would change sizes with us.

Stepping outside, we grew to our regular size. The edges of the plates glowed a Rift-like orange, and they expanded with us until we reached our preferred bulkiness. Our sword grew too, the armour forcing it to enlarge. Twisting around, we checked that everything was still in place, and seeing that there were no problems, we whooped in joy and punched the air.

"_It freaking works!" _we yelled happily.

Iorek smiled. It was a sight that we would have flinched away from a week ago, but now we were completely at ease with it.

"Yes, your armour is complete. Are you going to name it?"

"_Name it?" _Sparta asked.

Iorek nodded. "Your armour is part of your soul, just as mine is part of my soul. Like you, it deserves a name."

"_And yours is?" _Driscol asked.

"My armour is Brynja, which means armour in Icelandic."

Sparta grinned. "_Naming your armour 'armour'. That's sooo Locostralian."_

"_He's onto something there though." _Driscol said thoughtfully. "_What's armour in the Ancient Language?"_

"_Err... hernskja, I think." _Kevin said.

"_Well that sounds terrible." _Sparta said. "_Shield is better. Skölir."_

We nodded in unison. "_Skölir it is."_

"Good." Iorek said. "Now try flying in it. If that works, then I'll give you instructions on how to paint it and you can go."

We nodded, grinning. Beating our wings, we stood vertically and pushed off from the ground. Flying with our armour on wasn't much of an issue. The only real problem came with turning around since we weren't used to the extra weight, making us lose a little height while banking. Even so, we were happy with the result.

* * *

The next day, we were back in Locostral City, and there was a Gathering, which meant that everyone was in. We successfully got Skölir enchanted so that it would nullify any kind of magic coming at us, although it had been difficult because of the depleted uranium's natural resistance to magic. The barriers didn't function like Alagaësian wards. It didn't require any of our energy to be used, and it wasn't focused on blocking any particular spell. It stopped every spell that came into contact with it, but as we discovered with our sword, which we'd named Omen, magical _objects _could still get through. We'd then have to depend on Skölir to block them for us.

Getting back to Mount Bluepeak, we enlisted Gem and Darius's help to paint our new gear, as they were the only other ones with a proper thumb to grip a paintbrush. We applied four coats in total; the first being a primer, the second and third being a rich, metallic red, and the fourth being a smooth, transparent layer to protect the layers under it from everyday scratches. However, we left the golden, Rift-sensitive alloy as it was, only adding the protection layer.

Everyone thought it was cool, but the smell of the paint was god-levels of awful. If you think getting your room repainted smells bad, multiply your capacity for smelling by three and increase the sensitivity of your nose to maximum. That won't even come close to what we were smelling. Once it was fully dry thanks to Darius standing next to it for half an hour, a good wash got rid of most of the smell, although we could still detect traces of paint on it. We knew they would go away after a while, but meh. It still stank.

A very tired and grumpy Amara arrived at about midday, complaining at us not being around, and we promptly walked past her, our scarlet armour shining like gems. Our cousin's jaws dropped open in amazement.

"That's… amazing." She gasped.

"_And we made it ourself." _Sparta said smugly.

Driscol rolled his eyes. "_With help."_

Kevin smiled. "_Yeah, but as Iorek said, our armour, our soul, our creation."_

Sparta nodded. "_Skölir is our handiwork. We needed help to make it, sure, but it was us who created this glorious example of metalwork."_

Amara smiled. "That is undeniably awesome, but did you guys notice that you look like Iron Man?"

We glanced at ourself and shrugged. "_That wasn't something we planned, but we'll take it. Red and gold is a good colour combo."_

"I'm just wondering how Eragon, Saphira and Murtagh are gonna take this."

"_How about we find out?"_

"Won't they wonder where you got it from?"

"_Do we look like we care about that? This is cool, and we want to show off."_

Amara smirked. "_And there are the cousins I know."_

* * *

**Snapshot #3:**

A poke.

Blearily, we opened our eyes and looked around. Everything seemed to be normal. Saphira was watching Eragon, Amara was watching them, and Murtagh was cooking a meal. We were curled up, resting. Seeing everything was fine, we went back to sleep.

Two pokes.

Our six eyes flashed open, and we did a scan of the camp's perimeter. Everything was the same as before. We growled softly before settling back down and closing our eyes.

Three pokes.

There would have been a fourth and a fifth, but Sparta wound his neck around Amara's red head and caught her blue one in his jaws.

We stood, growling at our cousin, who squeaked nervously.

"_One, two, three, four. We declare a head war."_

"_A what?"_

We didn't give Amara time to understand what we said before Driscol and Kevin lunged at Amara's other heads in an attempt to immobilise them.


	24. Chapter 24: Friendly neighborhood dragon

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

**Thanks to Regal Eagle from the Dis-cord server for beta reading.**

* * *

**Chapter 24: Just your friendly neighbourhood armoured dragon**

By the end of the day, we'd got back to Alagaësia, Skölir glinting in the light of the setting sun. We'd grabbed our- now much smaller- bag of stuff, another bag to keep our new armour in when we weren't using it, and the signal transponders and bug that Spanners had made for us. Those were currently hidden in the bag we had our MultiForm in.

We'd Rifted with Amara leading, so we popped into Alagaësia where she'd left; in the middle of the sky. It was a bit of a surprise, but since we usually flew through the Rift anyway, we weren't too phased.

"_Why did we pop out in the middle of the sky?" _Kevin asked.

"It's all flat earth below us." Amara said, pointing at the ground. "There's a forest a few days to the west, but there wasn't a place down there for me to open a portal without the chance of being spotted. I didn't want to risk it."

"_Good thinking."_ Driscol said.

"_So where are the others?" _Kevin asked.

"Probably that way." Amara said, gesturing north. "Come on, they're probably having dinner."

"_We ate back in Locostral." _Driscol said. "_Have you tried Darius's spaghetti and meatballs yet?"_

"Nope. Should I?"

"_They're sooooo goooood." _Kevin moaned wistfully. "_It makes your taste buds want to explode."_

"I'll have to ask him if he could make them for me then." Amara said.

"_Why just you?" _Sparta said suspiciously. "_There are other dragons around here that love our resident volcano's cooking."_

"_You know what?" _Driscol said teasingly. "_I bet they're going out."_

Amara rolled her eyes. "No we're not. Although he is a nice person, and he is... kinda... handsome."

Kevin adopted a sing-song like voice. "_You have a crush on Darius! You have a crush on Darius!"_

"Oh, shut up guys. I don't take the mickey out of you when the others suggest you three are in a relationship with Saphira."

"_There's nothing to that argument now anyway." _Sparta said indifferently. "_There's three of us in here, and that killed off any possible chance of having a relationship."_

"Says you." Amara countered. "Love is weird."

"_You've got that right." _Kevin agreed. "_But I seriously don't see us in a relationship. Like, ever."_

Amara shrugged, but she let the matter drop.

* * *

Landing at camp was fun. Amara went first, landing next to Saphira. Then it was our turn.

Flipping down our visors, we went into a dive. The world was tinted green, and a heads-up-display or HUD appeared over our fields of vision, a digital clock in the bottom right corners, the reading of the altimeter in the bottom left, and two circular icons in the middle of the bottom of the screen. We could blink at those to turn the night-vision on and off, but we didn't need to use them right now.

Concentrating on the altimeter, we pulled up at the last second, leveling out so the rocky ground was only a few meters below us. We watched it whip passed before we gained a little height and turned towards where everyone was watching us. After doing a roll just for the fun of it, we spread our wings as wide as they went, completely killing our speed. That dropped us to the ground with a resounding ringing noise from Skölir.

Flipping the visors back up, we smiled. "_Sup. What did we miss?"_

Eragon sadly smiled back at us. "Just a few days of travelling. Where did you get that armour?"

"_You're not even surprised that we have armour?" _Kevin said, crestfallen. "_We thought we'd get to see you pull another face of awestruck shock."_

Saphira let out the coughing growl that was her laugh. "_No. We aren't surprised. You three do and say so much that we think is strange, we are used to it by now."_

Sparta mock-glared at Eragon. "_No, you will give us a surprised face or suffer our wrath!"_

The young rider smiled again, though this time, it seemed a little happier. "Try Murtagh instead. You can scare him all you want."

"Now wait a minute!" Murtagh spluttered, as our minds started whirring.

We shrunk down to human size, the golden edges of Skölir's plates glowing orange as we did so. Murtagh yelled in shock, and everyone else chuckled at his expense.

"You never told me he-" Murtagh started.

Eragon interrupted him. "They. Ghidorah's consciousness somehow triplicated, so he's a they."

Murtagh looked from Eragon to us to try and see if we were messing with him. We nodded to back up Eragon's statement before pointing at each of our heads and writing their names in the dirt for Murtagh's benefit.

"You… you can write!?" Murtagh asked a little hysterically. "You can write, so you can read too, and you can also do that strange growing and shrinking, as well as shooting lightning instead of breathing fire… Is there anything you can't do?"

We smirked and wrote 'Make waffles', which got a laugh out of Murtagh.

"Still, where did the armour come from?" Eragon asked us.

"_We're not going to tell you… yet." _Driscol said. "_But apart from a little help, we made it ourself."_

"_It's also resistant to magic." _Kevin added happily.

"Really?" Eragon asked. "Can I test that?"

"_You can if you really want to." _Sparta said. "_Just don't do anything like jierda, as you won't be able to break this plating. Lifting it will be a strain too."_

Eragon nodded. "Ignasia!"

Huh, 'glow'. Not a bad idea for a test. His palm lit up, showing the magic was taking place, but our armour remained stubbornly non-glowy. Eragon released the magic after a few seconds, sweating and panting.

"You weren't lying. That armour wouldn't have glowed even if Saphira was helping me."

"_You gonna be okay?" _We asked him.

"Yes. I just need a few minutes to recover. How did you make it so hard for magic to act on it?"

"_First off, this material is naturally resistant to have magic cast on it." _Driscol explained. "_And then we got it enchanted with an anti-magic spell, which was tricky because of the metal's normal resistance to magic interfering with the new spell."_

"Who enchanted it for you? How did they do it? Are they part of the Varden?" Eragon asked, going into his rapid-fire question mode.

"_A bunch of wizards, they put some kind of ward over it, and no. They aren't part of the Varden, the Empire, or Surda." _Kevin answered.

"Are they elves or dwarves then?"

We smiled. Eragon's curiosity was one of the reasons that we liked him so much. And the fact that we were very similar people in our experiences helped. We'd been uprooted from our regular way of living, and thrust into a world that we were trying our best to deal with.

"_No. They come from where Amara and we disappear too every seventh day. But we aren't going to tell you about that until we're ready to."_

Eragon sagged. "Very well."

We patted him on the shoulder before turning to Murtagh and writing out 'Spar?'

"Spar?" Murtagh echoed.

We nodded at him and drew Omen, going through the process that extended the blade to full length. Murtagh gaped at us. We had to shake him before he returned to his senses.

"You want to duel me?" he asked us.

We gave him a thumbs up.

Murtagh shrugged, chuckling slightly. "This will be at the top of the list of strange things I've done."

We smiled, and tossed Omen to Eragon for him to put a block on it for us. While he was doing that, we took off Skölir. We needed practise, and sometimes pain was the best teacher. Besides, we could quickly regenerate whatever was damaged. Speaking of making this realistic…

"_Don't put a block on Murtagh's blade." _We ordered Eragon.

"Why?" he asked, looking at us like we'd grown a fourth head.

"_We want this to be real. If we get hurt, we need to feel it. Pain is a good teacher."_

The young rider shrugged, but did as we requested, relaying what we'd said to Murtagh. He grimaced, probably reminded of something that his father had done to him when he was younger, but he readied himself and raised his sword.

Trying out one of Omen's functions, we said "_Omen, come to our hand!"_

The sword must have understood what we meant, as it shot through the air and into our outstretched hand as we stood vertically. Murtagh's eyebrow rose, but he didn't comment on it.

"Ready?" He asked us.

* * *

An hour later, both Murtagh and we collapsed in exhaustion, our swords lying in the dirt beside us. Oddly, though we were fairly battered, we weren't gasping for air like Murtagh was. He was a formidable swordsman, and even though our defence had been strong, we had some large, silvery bruises, and a few small, already healed cuts.

There had been a few moments in the fight when we'd felt something strange. Our world had blurred, something in our heads sparked, and we'd found ourselves in a different place, or a different position, our sword having blocked a strike that would have done us considerable damage. After asking the others about it, we were surprised to find that they hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary.

So that was a mystery for another day. At the moment, we were watching over everyone as they snoozed. And we were about to implant Murtagh with a bug. Fortunately, he was utterly spent from our swordfight, so he didn't even twitch as we pricked a small hole in his neck, slipped the tiny, pill-shaped device in, and put our hand over his neck to stop the bleeding.

"_Can I drink his blood?"_

Driscol and Sparta turned towards Kevin, perfectly synchronized. As plain as day, their faces read 'Are you fucking stupid?'

"_Just making a joke." _Our left head murmured dejectedly.

* * *

The next few days, the seven of us skirted around Urû'baen. Far around. The three of us had decided that we weren't willing to go any closer to it than having it as a dot on the horizon, so we'd forced everyone to take the long, long route around. However, there was a small problem in the fact that the slower we went, the shorter Arya's timetable to live would be.

We saw no alternative to the problem except flying, which would have put us in plain sight of Galbatorix. As on now, that was a death sentence for the others, and a realm of pain for us. So, unfortunately, we were stuck with walking.

We did pass various towns, where Eragon and Murtagh would go in for supplies. Well, Murtagh would go in for supplies, while Eragon went in to search any jails or prisons for Arya. We knew because of the signal transponders. Murtagh was quick and efficient, going in, getting supplies and getting out. Eragon took much longer, hardly moving for long periods of time, showing that he was either incredibly interested in something, was reading something, or was checking through loads of prisoners to try and find the literal 'woman of his dreams'. He still hadn't mentioned it to us, so we decided not to bring up the matter.

In the meantime, we'd realised that we were a little lacking in some areas. The biggest of them being combat, since we'd only properly fought Felix, and we had been running on instincts. Zapping Urgals into dust didn't count. We needed physical experience. Therefore, we'd asked Amara to start fighting us, so we could both get up to speed on how to go up against an enemy dragon.

We'd also asked Islingr to start spontaneously testing our mental defence. She'd happily obliged, and had taken to setting her, Amara, and us in three-way mental battles. This was perhaps the most powerful benefit we had of being three consciousnesses in one body. We could multitask like a god.

Kevin was the most eager of us to launch into mental operations, and he'd severely bulked up our mindscape. We had shifted our mental fortifications from Helm's Deep to Locostral, as it was the place where we felt the most secure. We'd installed a force field, engaged wards, had set up hundreds of all-purpose turrets that would fire wherever a target was on the ground, in the sky, or floating in orbit, and we'd surrounded the entire thing with spaceships intended for destruction. And if all that failed, we had a Death Star sitting in mental orbit, a teleporter ready to beam us up on command.

As for physical combat, Islingr served as a referee and an advisor. She told us where our weak point would be, such as our wings, necks, and tails. Well, they were more 'weak points' for Armara than us, but still, it was good information to know for attacking an opponent. And speaking of attacking an opponent, Amara could go all-out, since we could regenerate. We had to be careful not to accidentally kill our cousin.

However, our battles did give us some interesting insights into our abilities. For example, our gravity beams held a balance of being able to char things into dust and being able to move stuff around. The more power we put in to kill something, the less we could move it. The opposite was also true. The more we moved something, the less we harmed it.

Surprisingly, we were somehow immune to Amara's poisonous gas, which we found to be odd. It affected everything else we tested it on, which were only animals like deer and other forest critters. Even Amara herself wasn't immune to it's effects. But we were. Strange.

* * *

It was night of day six. The stars were out and twinkling down on us. Amara and we were still awake as the others slumbered.

"_Do you think that there's anything up there?" _Kevin wondered. "_The multiverse says that 'we are not alone', but do you think that this universe has aliens?"_

"_Do we not count?" _Driscol chuckled.

"I wouldn't say so." Amara whispered. "We're more like… I don't know. Something a little closer to home."

We were quiet for a while, a cool and gentle breeze blowing.

"_Do you think there'll be more multi-headed Plainswalkers?" _Sparta asked.

"Probably." Amara said. "Infinite multiverse, infinite forms. Why?"

"_We could form a group." _our right head explained.

"_What brought on this bout of madness?" _Driscol asked.

"_Yeah! That's my job!" _Kevin complained.

Sparta shrugged. "_We'd be united by being stuck in weird bodies with multiple heads. We could meet up, complain about it, yell at each other, and generally have a good time."_

Amara smiled from all five of her heads. "You and I have a very different idea about what a good time is, Sparta."

We shuddered slightly. While we had separate names to differentiate each of us, we still thought of ourselves as Cade or Ghidorah. Sparta, Driscol and Kevin were just placeholders. Admittedly, we liked them- except Kevin- but they didn't have the sense of belonging that our original or taken names had. We were all Cade, and we missed our name. We missed being whole. And we still missed our home.

Moaning softly, we flopped onto the ground in sadness. Amara looked at us oddly, then in understanding as she looked into our eyes.

"Oh Cade…"

We started tearing up. We had no idea why. Perhaps we were just overstressed, overworked. Making Skölir was supposed to have given us a break from all this, but… Well, we didn't really know what the problem was…

Amara picked us up and gave us a big hug. "Shh… It's gonna be okay, cuzes. I got you. Let it out."

As we silently cried into our cousin's scales, we could only think about how lucky we were to have her with us.

* * *

We had a dream that night. Not of Shadows, though. Instead, we were watching through a glass wall as a ruined city burned. It was on Earth, and as the city receded, the shattered fragments of the Golden Gate Bridge told us it was San Francisco.

"**Terrible what the Shadows are capable of, isn't it?" **A voice said from beside us.

That voice… that voice was practically dripping in power. It was a voice that would read fate like it was a book. A voice that would dictate life and death itself. A voice of a being much, much more powerful than we were.

Turning, we saw a feminine figure that was about three meters tall and consisted of fluctuating, orange light. She had long, flowing hair that reached down to her waist, small currents of light flowing through it. She didn't have a face, just a blank front to her head, but it served to show where she was looking.

"_This isn't a dream, is it?" _Driscol guessed.

"**Nope."**

"_Then is it the future?" _Sparta guessed.

"**It's a **_**possible **_**future. As for whether it will happen, that's mainly up to you Plainswalkers, kid. Or kids, if you prefer."**

We scrutinised the… well, we guessed she was a woman. She had implied that she wasn't a Plainswalker, but she didn't like the Shadows, and she knew us.

"_Who are you?" _Kevin asked.

"_And how did you get inside our heads?" _Sparta said suspiciously.

The woman chuckled, waved her hand, and the view changed to one overlooking a large, friendly-looking robot travelling through a city. "**I'm not willing to disclose who I am yet, Cade. Ask your Elders about the Great Two tomorrow. You have a Gathering tomorrow, right?"**

We nodded, dazed. Who was this… person? How did she know so much?

"**And you three are the ones who are in **_**my **_**head. Sort of. You're one of the ones out for my heart, after all. And you're the strongest one so far."**

Driscol shook his head. "_I'm sorry. The more you talk, the more confused we get. How do you know our collective name?"_

The woman laughed. It was a wonderful sound, a graceful harmony of humour. "**Don't worry about it Cade. Or Driscol, Kevin and Sparta. I'm not just on your side. I **_**am **_**your side. I'll meet you again soon."**

"_In person?" _We asked. "_With proper answers?"_

"**No and yes." **The woman said cryptically. We could practically imagine her smirking. "**I won't be able to meet you in person in any realm. My power draws the attention of my dark counterpart, but it was your link to me that brought you three here. And by the time we meet again, yes. I'll be able to give you proper answers."**

With that, she waved her hand and we shot to wakefulness, feeling like we were made of pure energy and wondering what the heck had just happened.

* * *

**Snapshot 4:**

"Well… shit."

Ragnar didn't care which of his crew said it. This was going to be a _nightmare_.

"Am I being a problem?" The new Plainswalker asked hesitantly. "I'm sorry! I'll make it up to you!"

The Elder tried to calm down the newest addition of their ranks. "Kid, it's not your fault. It's just you're… huge."

"Will he even fit in the _Infinity?"_ Gipsy wondered.

Ragnar did the calculations and nodded. "Just. It's getting him in there that's the problem."

"Yeah." The five voices of the Megazord said. "Could we lower the ship over…"

"Billy." The new guy said nervously.

"Over Billy so he could just hold on as the blast doors close under him?" The Megazord continued.

"_:I'd like to point out that's a piloting nightmare.:" _GLaDOS said over the comms.

Ragnar pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not too concerned by that… It's Cade who's going to be the problem."

The entire crew shivered slightly. Memories flashed through their process. Losing an arm. Being drained of energy. Having a tail smash into their torso like a wrecking ball would squash a fly.

"Oh God…" Omega Supreme said, completely dropping his vocal filter.

"Yeah." Ragnar said. "We'll have to break it to them slowly, and show them that Billy isn't hostile. After all, I don't think that the Monsterverse Ghidorah could take on Godzilla Earth."


	25. Chapter 25- To infinity and beyond

**Author's note: So, work experience: cancelled. School is now online though, so I might have more time to write. Or I might not! Who knows? Anyway, I'm starting to get concerned that I'm focusing on Locostral too much. Regal Eagle seems to be more on the ball at keeping a balance of chapters in the realm of the fic compared chapters in Locostral than I am. So this is gonna be the last Locostral chapter for a bit to rebalance. This is also the second time I've planned a snapshot before incorporating it into the story and writing a new one. And confession: I haven't watched the cameoed realm beyond the end of season 2, but I understand that a lot of weird shizz goes down. Also, I updated chapter 1 for a little bit at the end and I fixed a error in chapter 2. Anyhow, enjoy the chapter!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews: (Thanks for leaving them!)**

**chris: I already answered that a while back.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: You're right. Be prepared for a dump of lore! And yeah. Cade's max height is 160m. Goji Earth is 300m. He's a big boy.  
****dragonauthor: I hear the death metal blaring already. Yes, you can write that. Hopefully I fixed the link to the discord server, so you should be able to get on it. I just have 2 flaws with the character sheet:  
-1. If he lives in Alaska, why would he go to Israel? That doesn't really make sense to me. You could probably re-work it so he still saves people. Perhaps from a gunman in a shopping mall or something?  
****-2. How can he be shy but have a large ego? You might want to get rid of one of those.  
Apart from that, everything checks out!  
****Blaze1992: I'd like to hear your thoughts. It's always good to get a second opinion.  
****Daniel Clausen: Yeah, Trial has been a learning curve for me, and I'm happy to see that someone else understands that. As with Islingr, I realise that I kinda shunted her into the background, and I'm trying to rectify that. And yep, Roran will be in the sequel and will serve pretty much the same role as he did in Paloni's books. When I first read Eldest, I didn't like the inclusion of his point of view, but as I re-read the series a few times, I grew to enjoy his perspective from the average soldier's view of the world. So yep, he'll be there. Count on it.  
****Br2nd66: Dungeons and Dragons. Ah. I have played it, but I don't any more, as I don't meet up with the people I played with any more. And I don't have any of the manuals or know the lore, so I'd be more than a little screwed if I tried to write that. Perhaps in the future?**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

* * *

**Chapter 25: To infinity and beyond**

The day of the next Gathering, Amara and we went back to Locostral, our bags of stuff on our back. We hadn't told our cousin about our dream, preferring to go to the Elders directly and ask them about the strange woman. Amara exited the Rift first, gracefully transitioning from the multiversal wormhole to the streets of Locostral. However, when we left the orange portal, we were almost immediately confronted by Ragnar.

"Hi." He said. "I need to talk with you three."

Our six eyes widened in surprise. "_We need to talk with you too."_

"Right. Let's walk and talk."

We gave our bags and things to Amara and followed Ragnar out of the city. And by 'out of the city', we mean off the floating island. We beat our wings to take to the sky while Ragnar's thrusters fired, lifting him off the ground. Gaining altitude, we flew over to the next valley and found a… spaceport? Ragnar's _Infinity _was docked here, along with several other ships that weren't anywhere near as big.

"_Why are we here?" _Driscol asked as Ragnar led us inside one of the _Infinity's _various hangar bays.

"Because I need your guys' help. Everyone in my crew is still on shore leave, so they're all on holiday apart from Team Pride and GLaDOS, but there's a new Plainswalker I need to retrieve. You help me, and we'll consider this as half of your punishment. You can survive in space, right?"

"_We have literally no idea."_

Ragnar tapped on a panel on the wall. A loud hissing sound started up, along with several loud clangs and hums, and we felt a strong movement from the air, like a breeze had started up. That was probably some form of air conditioning.

Just before it stopped, Ragnar said "Right. But how do you feel about going to space though?"

Honestly, as soon as we clamped eyes on the _Infinity _when it first appeared, we had practically drooled at having seen it. Going to space in it? We had half-formed plans about hijacking the ship and driving it ourselves for that.

All three of us smiled in absolute joy. "_We'd _love _that."_

Ragnar tapped on the screen in the wall again. The airflow started up again, but in the other direction. "Good, because you're definitely coming now. I just vented all the air out of the room, and then back in as a test to see if you could survive without it. You did, so you can survive in space."

"_You did _what_?"_ Sparta said in disbelief. "_But what if we _had _been affected?!"_

Ragnar glanced at us like we were completely stupid. "Then I would have stopped the procedure. I'm not a monster."

"_But why didn't you tell us you were doing it?" _Driscol asked.

"Because people tend to try to hold their breath if I tell them. It's more efficient my way, and then I know when to pump the air back in. And I don't have to watch them freak about their heads exploding from the change in pressure."

"_It's still kinda cold though." _Kevin remarked as the ship shook under us.

Ragnar shrugged. "Maybe it is. But on my ship, it's my way or the highway. Now follow me to the bridge. We're taking off."

* * *

Five minutes later, and we were outside a massive blast door, waiting to be let into the bridge. Ragnar had briefed us on the situation. A Plainswalker key for a realm involving Voltron- not the one that Ragnar's crew formed- had dematerialised, and as there was no local Plainswalker, we had to go in and… educate them, we guessed?

"I think I heard something about you three getting armour, right?" Ragnar asked us.

We nodded in tandem. "_Yeah."_

"For protection from magic?"

"_Yep."_

"Put it on. There are witches and wizards here."

We nodded, swinging our bag of armour off our back as the door to the bridge opened. Inside were five robotic lions looking out of the front window, and a white robotic-arm like construct. So the original Voltron lions and GLaDOS.

As soon as we went in, everyone turned around to look at us. The lions shuddered, making us wince as we recalled our last encounter. The one where we'd drained their energy and left them as junk.

However, GLaDOS decided to make things infinitely more embarrassing by turning around and saying "Why hello there, handsome. You flying my way tonight?"

Ragnar chuckled as he entered the room and took in our horrified expressions. "Gladys, they're new. Drop the flirting."

The large robot sighed dramatically and sagged. "Only for you, Babe."

"Gladys." The elder admonished gently. "Status report."

We took the opportunity of the conversation slipping away from us to start putting on Skölir. Slipping into our shining armour, we looked out of the large windows at the twinkling stars.

"Fine. We have exited the atmosphere. All systems are nominal and ready for a Riftspace jump. Shields are active, wards are up, and MAC cannons are fully charged."

"Thanks." Ragnar said. "Enter Riftspace and give me an ETA."

GLaDOS- or Gladys- looked like she wanted to roll her eye. "You know as well as I do that time is relative between both slipspace and realms. We'll get there when we get there, you glorious feat of engineering."

"As we always do." The Black Lion said humorlessly. Her voice sounded female, but it was harder to tell with robots than with the rest of us Plainswalkers. "And Gladys… you know that Ragnar and Gipsy are in a relationship, right?"

"THEY WHAT?!" The white-plated Plainswalker said in shock, whirling from the Black Lion to Ragnar and back.

Ragnar shrugged. "It just kinda happened. But that's not important now. We concentrate on the mission, get the Plainswalker, then get back home. After they go with Kevin, Driscol and Sparta to the Stadium, then we get into a blazing row. Clear?"

"IT ISN'T BLOODY CLEAR! YOU DROP A BOMBSHELL LIKE THAT-"

"That was an order." Ragnar said, letting a little bit of bite into his voice. "Besides, you flirt with everyone. Why is my life so important to you?"

Though there was quite a bit of grumbling from GLaDOS, Ragnar's request was followed. In front of the ship, a large slipspace portal appeared, although it was orange instead of purple.

"_What's with the colour?" _We asked the Black Lion. "_Slipspace is supposed to be purple…"_

"It's Riftspace, kid. We're travelling through space, time, and realms at faster-than-light speeds. A pain in the ass to do, or so I'm told."

"_Oh."_

* * *

It wasn't long before Ragnar ordered the lions to get to the launch bay.

As they left, we said "_Wait."_

They did as we asked, turning in the doorway to face us.

"_We're sorry." _We apologised. "_When we first met, we… well, we tried to kill you guys. Admittedly, we weren't in full control of ourself, but that doesn't excuse us for what we tried to do. If we can make it up to all of you… and the others that are usually on board… then we'd try our best to do so."_

The lions' gazes softened, and the green one said in a deep voice "Don't worry about it. A lot of things try to kill us. Your attack just taught us another place where we were vulnerable, and we can invent a defensive maneuver to protect ourselves from it in the future."

We nodded in understanding as they went out, but it still didn't feel right to us. We'd practically put them in the robotic equivalent of a coma, and we still felt that we owed them.

"So." Ragnar said, breaking us from our thoughts. "What did you three want to talk to me about?"

"_Well, we kinda had this… vision last night." _Driscol explained. "_We met this woman made of orange light, and we talked about some stuff. She said that we were one of the ones out for her heart, and to ask one of the Elders about the 'Great Two'."_

Ragnar stiffened, his voice barely more than a whisper. "You… you met… Follow me, now."

"_But why-"_

Ragnar leaned close to us and whispered "There are some things that we Elders keep secret for a reason. Things that would terrify everyone else until there would be mass panic in Locostral. This is one of them, and if you three really want to know, you will follow me and not ask questions until I tell you to, got it?"

We nodded, shaken. Ragnar practically ran from the bridge, and we followed him. Our route took us down several massive corridors, through a few airlocks, and into a lift that ascended into a large room.

It was evidently Ragnar's personal quarters, but from the little we knew of him, there was nothing we really expected. There was a transparent ceiling above us, showing off the stars, and a plush carpet underneath our feet, soft enough that we could easily have fallen asleep by just lying on it. There was a large bed on one side of the room, a desk with a holographic interface above it, and a set of shelves down one wall.

On them were a large collection of books and graphic novels about Kaiju, an entire row dedicated to books on dinosaurs, more comics, various apocalypse survival guides, a couple of clearly enlarged Lego sets, and a section dealing with fantasy. There was also a rack on the only remaining side of the room. On it, there were the various add-ons from Ragnar's form. Two blue dual mazer cannons, two rocket packs- one blue, one silver, and a hand that could transform into a drill.

"There's a lot I'm going to have to tell you." Ragar said, sitting on his bed and looking at us. "This is gonna sound really strange, but I swear it's all true, and I'm gonna ask you to leave your questions for then end. However, there are gaps in some places, as the person who told us Elders this didn't want to share more personal matters. I'm also going to have to ask you to not tell _anyone _else this, unless the multiverse is ending or it's critically important to share the info."

"_We promise." _We said, tracing a finger over our chest. "_Cross our hearts and hope to die."_

Ragnar nodded, sighed, and began. "In the beginning of the multiverse, there were two beings. They were Primordials- entities of great power that often create the universe they inhabit. However, these two were much more powerful than the rest, as they created almost all of the realms and interlinked them all with the rift.

Time passed, and everything was fine. The multiverse was in place, and the realms were ticking over nicely. The two creators watched on from the first realm they had created- a realm that one of the creators had poured the most of his energy into. It was cold and dark there, and so it became... Void, named after its creator. Similarly, the energy that wove the realms together was named the rift after its maker, Rift.

However, some time in the middle ages by our reckoning, Void grew tired of his creations, no longer captured by their wonders like Rift still was. He began to pull the other realms into his one, wanting to see what would happen if he merged them. Rift, though excited about the opportunity for change this would bring, was soon horrified at the constant battles and wars that the civilizations that were brought together waged with each other, and she pleaded with Void to stop the fighting. Void didn't care, and told Rift not to interfere in his work.

Rift, being furious, left, and thought over how she could stop the fighting and death that Void was causing. And so, she stumbled across the last Realm that she and Void had created. This one hadn't had as much work put into it as the others, and so it had none of the more interesting aspects that other realms had. No magic, no spaceships, no powers. And it was called Earth."

Our breath hitched.

"Yeah. Our home. However, Rift felt something special from Earth. The souls that die there, like us, we were ones that were strong. We stood and yelled that we would not go quietly into the night. Our souls had power.

And so, Rift began to save us from the anti-realm known as 'Limbo', which is where Void and Rift were born from, as well as where we went before we touched that light. That light is a fragment of Rift's power, giving us a lifeline. When the Elders system was set up, Rift came to us and told us we weren't the first people she tried to save. She declined to share the information about what happened to them, but she said she had to improvise, and quickly.

Apparently, Rift scattered hints of the other realms into Earth; stories and legends of happenings elsewhere. We began to remember these stories, clinging to a hope that there was something _more_ out there, and we began to survive the change by getting changed into new forms that could handle the power. She created a realm for us to use as a base of operations. She gave us a system where we could travel the realms. She gave us the power to fight Void's power. And we became the Plainswalkers."

There was a pause as we tried to digest the information. It seemed mad, absolutely bonkers. Beings that created the multiverse? A war across the realms? And us being the heroes of it? It was utterly insane, yet somehow, deep down, we knew it was true.

"_So… We spoke with Rift? A primordial? One of the fucking creators of the multiverse?!" _Sparta sputtered.

"Yes. Yes you did." Ragnar sighed. "And by the sounds of it, she confirmed you're a Riftheart. Know what those are?"

"_Yeah…" _Sparta said. "_Basically, Plainswalker special ops. Abraxus said we had the potential for it… But how do the Shadows fit into this?"_

"Shadows are Void's troops in a response to Rift setting up us." Ragnar said, getting off his bed and attaching his blue rocket pack and maser cannons. "Void never leaves his realm, but he sends out his troops to deal with assimilating them. Shadows can only pull other realms into the realm Void if there is no trace of Rift's power, which is why they come after us Plainswalkers. It's why we guard them at all times. We're the first and last lines of defence for the Realms. It's our job to protect them."

We suppressed the ability to yell '_Sir, yes sir!'_ and Driscol asked a more serious question. "_Rift… she said that we were the strongest Riftheart so far, but we only have our growing and shrinking ability. How are we the strongest?"_

Ragnar shrugged. "No Riftheart ever gets their abilities all at once. It's a learning curve. But Rift will know what you can do. If she says you have power, then you have power, simple as that."

A light from outside the ship flared, and we passed back into normal space.

Ragnar looked up, then at us as red lights began to flash and blast doors slid over the window. "Code Red, kid. We're in a combat situation now."

* * *

As we got to the launch bay, we found the five Lions waiting for us with excited smiles as the ship shook from the force of blasts impacting the shields and the deafening _booms_ of MAC cannons returning fire.

Ragnar was all business. "You all know how to fight, so I won't tell you how to do so. However, since Cade doesn't know how we operate as a team, we need to split up. Cade and I will try to find our resident Plainswalker in all this, while Team Pride will draw enemy fire and disable as many enemies as possible. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" the lions chorused as we happily roared in agreement.

"Good. Cade, you won't even be able to hear our comms, so patch yourselves into our heads and we'll try to relay info to you as best I can."

"_Understood."_

"Excellent. Now, LAUNCH!"

The blast doors sealing the air in the room opened with a flashing yellow light and a loud alarm that was quickly silenced as the air decided it wanted to go outside and play. The robots fired their boosters and shot out of the hangar one by one, and we followed, throwing ourself into space. We had no idea how, but our wings broke the laws of physics and decided that they worked as well in space as they did in atmosphere, so we quickly gained speed and fell into formation alongside Ragnar.

Words can't describe how weird being in a zero-g vacuum is. Your hearing is instantly gone, there's no air resisting your movements, and your sense of balance goes and dies on you. In short, odd, but manageable.

He nodded to us as we grew to our full size with a flash of orange light from our armour. Checking out what we were actually heading into, we saw _hundreds _of purple battle cruisers. They were firing at a few main targets, including the _Infinity_, us, Ragnar, the five Lions, and in the distance, two dots of light, one of which was this universe's Voltron, and another which must have been the Plainswalker we were here to get.

"_What's the plan?" _we asked Ragnar. "_Go in and help?"_

He surveyed the battlefield. The _Infinity _was soaking up the incoming fire on its shields and dishing out way more damage, one-shotting the enemy cruisers with ease. Team Pride was sticking as five individual units working at a team, obliterating anything in their way. And Voltron and the Plainswalker seemed to be doing okay.

Ragnar put a finger to the side of his head and said "_The Plainswalker is with Dreamworks Voltron. Team Pride, we'll rendezvous on their location with you. Bust out your big friend. Gladys, get us on their comms. Let them know they have friendlies. Cade, get in their heads too. You'll need to be able to hear what everyone is saying."_

"_Ebony here, roger that."_

"_GLaDOS acknowledges, working on it."_

"_This is Cade, we copy."_

There was a brief pause before Ragnar said. "_Team Pride, this is your show. Want to bust out the music?"_

"_Yes!"_

"_Understood. You are clear to do so. Go with shock and awe."_

Ragnar and we then shot off towards the two dots of light, blasting any ship we came across with our Gravity Beams and Ragnar's masers. We didn't hear the aforementioned music, but we definitely heard the Team's leader giving orders.

"_Team Pride, ready to form Voltron!"_

A much more excited voice yelled "_Yeah! Let's do this!"_

"_All units, activate interlocks."_

There were two cries of "_Done!"_ and "_Locked in!"_, so we assumed they were alright.

"_Dynatherms registering as connected. Infracells are up, too and mega-thrusters are go! Let's go, Plainswalkers!"_

We felt lightning flash from the five robots, and then they began to combine.

"_Form feet and legs! Form arms and body! And I'll form the head!"_

The lightning dissipated, and the five became one. Strangely, we could feel that their minds hadn't merged, but were in harmony, like when the three of us spoke in unison or did something in sync. Interesting.

As they fell into formation on Ragnar's left, they glanced at us. "_You okay there, guys?"_

"_Ready to rumble!" _Kevin said happily, obliterating an enemy ship with a Gravity Beam.

The five Plainswalkers beside us smirked, putting their hands together and slowly drawing them apart, creating a beam of light. "_Us too. Form Blazing Sword!"_

The light dissipated, forming a long, metal blade with a hilt like a blue pirate's cutlass. White-hot shrapnel from Kevin's kill flew past us, into the gulf of space.

"_Why use a sword when you need range?" _Sparta asked, using one of our beams to grab hold of an enemy ship and smash it into three more like a plough, blowing all of them up in the process.

Ragnar used his Absolute Zero Cannon to freeze a ship solid before smashing his fist into its side. The ship shattered into billions of ice particles, floating away into nothingness.

"_Guys, concentrate! Cade, Get to the Plainswalker! Voltron, assist your counterpart! I need to rescue someone."_

With a nod from us and a salute from Voltron, Ragnar peeled off, going for a massive space station. We beat our wings hard, somehow accelerating through the vacuum of space. This realm's Voltron formed a massive shoulder cannon and blasted through a whole line of enemy ships as we took care of a few pesky fighters, grabbing hold of them in our mouths and crushing them with a soundless explosion and the spicy taste of melting metal.

As we and our Voltron pulled up alongside this realm's Voltron, we noticed a smaller form hovering to the robot's right. It was white, about five times smaller than the colossal combiner, and was humanoid with the exception of a large horn on its head.

GLaDOS finally came through with "_We're in their comms. Cade, connect to them mentally."_

"_On it." _We said, sending a mental probe towards the Plainswalker. "_Hi. Are you receiving us?"_

The white figure turned towards us in shock, raising its gun instinctively.

"_Woah, woah, woah!"_ Driscol said as we put up our hands in clear submission. "_We're like you! Lived on Earth, died, got shot through the multiverse. Just… put the gun down, okay?"_

"_You're... from the same Earth I'm from?" _Came the stunned reply. The voice sounded female, and slightly skeptical.

Kevin nodded happily. "_Yep! We're Cade. Born in Montanna, USA. Died from a bear ripping our guts out. Then we got shunted into this body and we were sent to a realm of dragons."_

The white-armoured Plainswalker looked us up and down. "_You're that dragon from that Godzilla movie, right?"_

Sparta scowled, but Driscol nodded. "_And you are?"_

At that moment, we felt something hit our mental barriers. Kevin and Driscol scrambled to defend us, leaving the eyes of the heads they inhabited cold and lifeless until Sparta stepped in and took control of our body. At the same time, our new friend's armour started changing position, glowing red segments activating as her horn split in two.

"_You're a Gundam!" _Kevin squealed happily in realisation before going back to upping our mental defence.

The Gundam Plainswalker nodded at us. "_That settles it, you're from my Earth. Nobody else here can identify me on sight. Joni Stannard, RAF Pilot Officer, Unicorn Gundam, reporting for duty. And there's either a newtype or a magician around here, as I've just gone into 'destroy mode'."_

"_Stop chatting, we need backup!" _the five voices of our Voltron yelled.

They were currently protecting this realm's Voltron from enemy fire, as they'd seized up and weren't moving. We couldn't see Ragnar anywhere, but he wasn't available. In the meantime, Driscol and Kevin had encompassed our mental defence to cover the minds of our allies, and were busy clashing with a massively powerful force.

"_We're under mental attack!" _Sparta reported. "_I'd advise retreat! We can't hold off whoever this is forever!"_

It was true. Our mental Locostral was taking a pounding, and even though our defences were firing back with maximum power, we were fighting a losing battle. Kevin generated a fleet of UNSC craft to fight off the attacker before following them up with various dragons and Kaiju. Driscol was issuing orders to them, calculating the best plan of counterattack before finalising it, slipping out of our mindscape, and then mentally smashing into our enemy in the traditional Alagaësian way. That threw them for a while, making them go on the mental defensive, which gave us breathing space. This realm's Voltron was also freed, but hung in space rather than pressing on with their attack.

Sparta used our gravity beams to drag the two Voltrons back towards us, and Ragnar was flying back to us from the space station. Rolling so he was facing it, he fired his AZC. A blue-white beam of energy flew out, towards the giant ship. It bypassed a counter of dark lightning that was aimed at it, impacting on the gigantic, city-sized vessel. Ice rapidly spread from the hit, freezing the whole ship to absolute zero on the molecular level. All that was left was to shatter it. Ragnar charged the mazers in his mouth and fired, sending twin beams of yellow energy sparking towards the space station. They hit dead-on, and the High Charity tryhard crumbled into a large cluster of icebergs the size of skyscrapers.

"_That gives us time to evac." _Ragnar said, as if he destroyed gigantic space stations regularly. "_Right. Team Pride, Cade, Gundam. Get to the _Infinity. _Team Voltron, get to the Castle of Lions and follow our lead. I have your princess, and I'd like to return her right now, but we're in the middle of a warzone, so if we could get out of here, then talk, I'd appreciate it."_

"_U… understood." _someone said as the pressure on our mind lifted and we returned to our regular heads.

"_Grab on to us." _Driscol told Joni. "_We don't want to risk smashing into you by accident."_

She nodded, jetting on top of us and holding on around Driscol's neck. Both Voltrons separated, rocketing back to the two ships on our side, closely followed by Ragnar. We followed suit, turning towards the _Infinity_ and pumping our wings, hard. We… may have gone out of our way to blow up some more enemy ships, but so what?

When we were within a few hundred meters of the _Infinity_'s launch bay, we shrunk down to our regular size, making Joni yelp in surprise and activate her jetpack to slow down on her approach. We flared our wings instead, which somehow slowed us down without air being necessary.

Landing, we turned back to see the bay doors close behind Joni as her destroy mode deactivated. A loud hissing showed the room was repressurising, and a pop of our ears later, and we could hear again.

"Well that was fun." The blue lion said, trying to pull off a grin.

Ragnar put a hand to his neck, allowing a small figure to climb out and onto his hand.

Kevin recoiled. "_Dude. You literally had someone inside you."_

Ragnar stared at Kevin. "You will never say, insinuate, remember, or think that again in my presence unless you want me to throw you out of the nearest airlock. Gladys, get us into Riftspace back to Locostral. Give our friends time to travel through behind us, then close the portal."

"Roger that." GLaDOS said over an intercom. "Opening portal in thirty seconds."

* * *

We and Joni were making our way towards the Stadium as Ragnar half introduced the Gundam's friends to the multiverse, half argued with GLaDOS about his personal life.

"So…" Joni said. "This is…?"

"_Locostral." _Driscol said. "_It's a hub where people like us all hang out while we're not keeping the multiverse safe from Shadows."_

Well, after what Ragnar had told us, that seemed like an understatement. We were at _war_ with one of the _creators of the multiverse._ But we understood the need for secrecy. If we were told this when we started, we would have completely freaked out.

"_Shadows are real bad news." _Sparta went on. "_They want to destroy the realms of the multiverse, which is why we all guard them. If you ever see a Shadow, come back here and get a lot of backup. They're much more powerful than us, apart from a select few."_

"Like you?" Joni asked.

"_Kind of." _Driscol said. "_We're a special case, because we have a powerful form, as well as a few extra abilities, like our growing and shrinking. You shouldn't have to worry too much though. There are definitely less than 1000 Shadows in existence, so they aren't too common."_

"Right." Joni nodded "So how long have you been doing this?"

Driscol looked at Sparta. "_How long has it been? About six months in Earth time?"_

"_Search me. The fact we lost track of christmas is a sign that we don't really follow time very well. Besides, time is screwed between realms. It's early spring here and it's still late-ish winter in Alagaësia. That makes it hard to keep track. But I'd guess around six months."_

"_Geez." _Kevin said. "_Six months… I didn't realise it had been that long."_

We walked on in silence until Joni asked "So what's going to happen to me?"

"_Well, you'll continue to look after the realm you're in." _Sparta explained.

"_But here, you'll be taken in by a Clan." _Driscol said. "_They'll be the equivalent of your best friends, and they'll be able bring you up to speed on what we do here better than we can."_

"Oh. So how do I get in a clan?"

"_Their clan leader will offer to take you in." _Spata said. "_We're with the Bluepeak Riftwalkers, and we're all dragons."_

"_Except Regal." _Kevin corrected.

"_Yeah, jelly-bean denier Regal." _Sparta grumbled. "_But you'll probably be in a clan with a lot of robots."_

We carried on walking in silence until we reached the Stadium. Upon going through the same doors we had when we'd first arrived, we were surprised to see Darius on the other side, a red dragon with odd pieces of gold jewelry cladding her by his side. She was Alexstrasza from World of Warcraft, and she was about the same size as Darius, although she was at least two meters shorter.

"_Sup, Darius!" _Kevin said happily as we gave our friend a fist bump. "_You found someone new too?"_

"Yes I- Wait, you found a new Plainswalker as well?"

We nodded. "_Ragnar took us on a trip to space. Darius, this is Joni. Joni, this is Darius. We're in the same clan and stuff."_

Joni waved shyly as Darius nodded to her politely. "Hi."

The flaming dragon glanced at the new "Well, you know how Amara's your cousin?"

"_Yes?" _Sparta said slowly, quickly mapping out the possible routes this could take.

"Well… er… Rosa here is my sister."

A second of two of shocked silence.

"_Dude, that's awesome!" _Kevin exclaimed happily.

Driscol smiled "_You're incredibly lucky, you know that. Anyway, hi Rosa, we're Cade."_

Rosa glanced at her brother uncertainly. "Is that… normal?"

"Yes. When I met them, Cade was one person. Then he kind of broke himself."

"_Hey!" _Kevin protested. "_We were shunted into being like this because of our instincts taking over and making us fight Felix."_

"You… they… what?" Rosa said before switching to rapid paced Italian.

Darius followed suit, leaving us awkwardly standing next to Joni, twiddling our thumbs as we listened to the announcements. There would be tryouts for an beastial Ultimate Quidditch team that we planned to attend after the Gathering, a coffee shortage, and news that there was a possibility of a Shadow being in Fairy Tail, which Regal had reported.

"Well that's not good." Darius muttered, having switched back to English.

We nodded. "_We'll have to ask Regal about this later."_

Then came the question about any other announcements. Darius nudged Rosa forward, and they stepped out, onto the field. We nodded to Joni, and we strode out after the siblings. The crowd went nuts, cheering so loud it was just a solid wall of noise.

"We have new arrivals, Elders!" Darius yelled happily as the crowd began to quiet down. "May I present Rosa, a Plainswalker from Skyrim in the form of Alexstrasza! And my little sister!"

Rosa squeaked nervously under all the surrounding eyes watching her and the thunderous applause, although there was nothing to be afraid of. Gem was quick to offer to take in Rosa, and she accepted without hesitation, happy to be with her brother.

Then it was Joni's turn. She decided to be a little more showy, like we'd been when we first arrived. Standing straight, she activated her 'destroy mode' again. As parts of her body glowed red and her horn split, there were rabid cheers from the crowd.

She saluted, announcing "Joni Stannard, RAF Pilot Officer, Unicorn Gundam and Plainswalker, reporting for duty!"

As everyone applauded, we told the Elders "_Ragnar sends his regards. He's on the Infinity, talking with the people Joni were with."_

They all nodded in understanding before someone asked which clan would take Joni in. From the stands, another robot stood up. He- well, we thought he was a he- was more colourful than Joni was, with a red and blue torso with some yellow parts.

"Joni will be welcome with us." He said confidently as two more robots rose behind him. "We don't have many members, but as we're all mobile suits, you should feel right at home."

"I'd be happy to join." Joni said, striding forward to shake her new clan leader's hand.

"Any other news?" An elder called. Nobody said anything, so they said "And that finishes our Gathering! Good fortune to you all!"

* * *

Given that there would be a few hours before the tryouts would even start, we reclaimed our stuff from our cousin and took the opportunity to wander around the city.

Out of the blue, Islingr decided to start talking to us. "_I believe that I should apologise for my near-silence lately."_

"_It's okay." _Kevin said as we found a large tree and lay against it, soaking in the sunlight. "_But what have you been doing?"_

"_Well, while we have been in Alagaësia, I have been communicating with my fellow Eldunarí about your consciousness problem."_

"_And?" _We asked, hope surging through our annoyance.

"_We… do not have a solution that is feasible. It would only cause you great pain." _Our Ebrithil said sadly.

"_Tell me." _Sparta said as Driscol and Kevin sighed in disappointment.

"_In theory, if two of you were… absent, then the third would have full control, although you would not be the same person as you would be before, and it would produce an effect similar to a rider or bonded dragon's partner dying." _Islingr said hurriedly.

"_So… we'd go mad and there'd only be one of us left…" _Kevin summed up sombrely.

"_Yes." _our Ebrithil confirmed. "_It is unlikely that you would survive the event."_

Driscol sighed as we leaned back against the tree and closed our eyes, accepting fate.. "_So… we're irreparable."_

Finally facing that… it hurt. Knowing that we were broken and no amount of duct tape could put us back together. Sparta growled in anger and Kevin moaned sadly while Driscol stayed silent, trying to think.

"_We could see if there's anyone here who specialises in mental abilities." _Our centre head said hopefully.

"_Just face it." _Sparta said dejectedly. "_We're damaged goods. We lost ourself to this form's instincts and desires, and we can't find our way back to the light."_

Kevin watched as the tree's leaves blew in the gentle wind. "_Yeah. But all it takes is someone with a flashlight to show us the way."_

Driscol smiled. "_I guess so, Kevin. I guess so."_

"_You're sickeningly positive about this." _Sparta said, although he cracked a smile.

"_You three should try to take this as an opportunity." _Islingr said. "_Try to learn as much as you can about yourselves from each other. Discovering yourself is an important part of anyone's life."_

"_So we crack jokes, tell stories, and get to know ourselves?" _Kevin asked.

"_I'm pretty sure we all know that our material would get old very, very quickly." _Driscol said, and all three of us chuckled at the joke as we sat back and tried to enjoy the day.

* * *

There was a small crowd of people already standing in the middle of the Stadium as we landed for the Ultimate Quidditch tryout, our wings creating small breezes as we shrank down to around Jacob's size. There was a small platform in front of the crowd of other people who had arrived for the tryouts. On it stood a team of eleven various creatures, varying from small-ish dragons to large birds to massive insects, to a few wingless creatures carrying brooms. All of them were wearing the same colours of white and red, although some of them wore it on fabric, others on metal armour, and a few of them had the colours painted onto their skin and scales.

Regal landed next to us, tiredly shaking his head as we raised the scaly ridges we had for eyebrows.

"_So you decided to try this out too?_" Driscol asked.

Regal nodded sleepily. "Yeah. Sorry, but I just had half an hour of sleep after an intense SupCom match against Brackman, and I'm still a bit stunned that he said I almost won against him. And as my form is from the Harry Potter universe, of course I want to try Quidditch!"

Sparta rolled his eyes. "_But this is _Ultimate _Quidditch. A lot more dangerous than the regular type."_

Regal shrugged. "Basic rules are almost the same, and what would life be without its spice? Also it's a good opportunity to see how I fare against my fellows Plainswalkers."

Kevin nodded. "_Good point. Although we know that we'd obliterate most people. We're doing this so we can get some exercise and do something fun."_

"Same with me to be honest." Regal said, standing on one leg and scratching himself with the other. "Although I'm pretty sure I'm more agile than most people due to my extra wings, but I want to use this as training to fly in hostile skies."

Sparta hummed thoughtfully. "_That's reasonable. Although we went to _space _earlier, so hostile _skies _have kinda lost their significance. Anyway, earlier you said that there was Shadow activity in Fairy Tail. Care to elaborate?_"

Regal sighed. "The main cast had to face some sort of boss, a demon. Normally they beat it pretty easily, but as they were facing it, my danger sense flared up and I joined them as fast as I could. Turns out there was a shadowy aura around the boss that blocked their attacks. I managed to stop the attack that would have killed them, then drained the aura using pure Kinetic Energy. After that they beat it like they did in the books. It was definitely a Shadow reinforcing the boss, if I wasn't there… Well we kinda would have three or four important characters dead."

Driscol scowled. What if this would happen in Alagaësia? Would we be able to tell how a Shadow was messing with things?

"_What did this aura thing look like?" _Our center head questioned. "_If there are Shadows powering up the enemies in our realm, we need to know how to identify their interference."_

Regal thought about it for an instant before answering. "Kinda like a fog clinging to the enemy. It didn't have red eyes, but there were strange black fumes undulating around it."

All three of our heads nodded and turned their attention to the platform, where one of the players had blown a whistle to get everyone's attention.

The guy who was the team captain was the silver-armoured Arbiter from Halo, which made us instantly respect him. He nodded politely to the whistle blower and took over the proceedings.

"Good afternoon everyone." he said, his four mandible-like jaws somehow managing to form words.

There were various responses from most people ranging from "thanks" to "you too", but we stayed quiet.

He nodded in acknowledgement and thanks. "I never liked my original name, so I'd prefer if you just called me Arbiter. Now, who here knows how Quidditch is played?"

Everyone raised their hands.

"Good. Who knows how to play Ultimate Quidditch?"

There were two or three hands in the air.

Arbiter sighed. "Right. Before we even start, I'll say that this isn't for the faint-hearted. This game is ridiculously dangerous. If you get distracted, you can easily be knocked to the ground with most of your bones broken. A lot of those injuries are recoverable, but you can lose limbs in this game. If you have a problem with that, then leave now."

About half the crowd filtered away, not willing to sacrifice their arms and legs. There were a few murmurs from the remainders.

Regal chuckled. "Scaredy cats!"

Sparta hummed. "_I have a feeling I'm going to like this game._"

"_You like everything to do with violence._" Kevin commented.

"_So what?_"

"_Nothing._"

Arbiter waited for the talking to die down, then continued. "Now we know who the serious people are, it's time to explain the game. Take what you know about regular Quidditch and up it to 11. Everything is harder. The goals- there are five of them on each end. And they're all on fire. There are adaptive weather systems in the edges of the stadium to give us everything from a bright, sunny day to flying through a blizzard. And it changes randomly."

"_Adaptive weather?" _Driscol smirked. "_This is getting better and better._"

Regal hummed and raised a wing as he asked "I suppose those with weather control powers aren't allowed to change it themselves?"

Now that was a fair question, but we already knew the answer. We wouldn't be able to call down lightning and zap people into oblivion.

Arbiter shook his head. "Let me make this clear right now. Abilities. If they harm the other players, you can't use them. That includes changing weather to difficult conditions. However, you _can _change it to easier conditions, as that doesn't hinder anyone. Can I go on?"

Regal nodded in understanding, so Arbiter continued

"Good. Now, the balls. The Quaffle. This one makes you play hot potato, as if you hold it too long, it explodes like a flashbang. If you're holding it while it blows up, the other team gets the next one. The Bludgers. They're equivalent to drones now. There are nine of the pesky things, and they have small holes in one side that fire paintballs that sting quite a bit. Finally, the Snitch. If you thought it was annoying enough to begin with, you have another thing coming. This Snitch has the ability to teleport once every thirty minutes, and it can store the charges. Leave it an hour, and it can teleport twice. Two hours, four teleports. After hearing that, how many of you still want to play? Leave if you think this isn't your game."

Again, the crowd lost about a third of its members, leaving thirteen people standing on the pitch.

Arbiter surveyed us all. "Well, I have to say that this is better than I had hoped. Usually, we don't get many more than six."

There were a few nervous chuckles, but most people stayed silent.

Arbiter started walking up and down the platform as he looked down at us. "Ultimate Quidditch teams have fourteen players. Six Chasers, two Keepers, three Beaters, one Seeker, and two Everythingers."

Kevin burst out laughing. "_Seriously? An Everythinger? You gotta be pulling our tails!"_

Arbiter chuckled. "No, it's a very real position. Everythingers are players who have the combined roles of all the other players. You can chase, beat, keep and seek, but you have to be on the ball at all times. I've seen a lot of matches lost because an Everythinger wasn't where they should have been. Now, we have three open positions; a Chaser, a Seeker, and an Everythinger. Decide what you want to try out for and form a group with other people who want that position."

Regal hummed in thought, then said "I'll apply for Chaser. I could be a good Seeker too, but that seems too boring, waiting for the entire match that a shiny ball enters your field of vision? No thanks! Gotta take the more exciting job!"

Driscol's eyes were glazed as he evaluated where we should apply for, but Sparta said "_We're most of an asset if we go as an Everythinger. One of us can whack the Bludgers away, another can keep a lookout for the Snitch, and whoever's left can concentrate on flying._"

Regal nodded in agreement. "Yep! Your triple consciousness is actually an advantage at once! It would be a shame to waste it. Anyways, let's go in file for our roles."

As Regal walked off to join the chasers, Sparta started mentally muttering "_For once? We have a _lot _of advantages because of our… issue._"

Kevin nudged him gently, trying to be supportive. "_Just let it go. He meant well._"

Sparta sighed dejectedly. "_I suppose. But us being… us, is still a bit of a sore subject._"

Driscol interrupted the rest of us by saying "_Come on. Let's get into the group applying for the Everythinger position._"

* * *

A slightly battered Regal stepped out of the cargo lift into Mount Bluepeak, and we followed after him at our regular size, our tired tails dragging on the floor. All four of us were exhausted from the battering they'd gone through, but we were pleased. After dodging bludger paintballs, dealing with a mini-sandstorm, and finding out that slamming our tails into the quaffle punctured it, we'd made the team, and that was what mattered.

Driscol glanced at Regal and saw a fairly large cut on the side of his neck. "_Dude, you're bleeding._"

Regal nodded in acknowledgement. "Yeah I know, a bit of a close call, but that's what training is for. You learn more in failure than success. You don't really have to worry about lost limbs though."

Kevin laughed wearily. "_No. We got a few wounds, but they all closed fairly easily. It's a little painful, but being a meat shield for everyone is a surprisingly effective strategy._"

Regal looked at us wearily. "Better you than those that don't have expandable limbs."

Driscol looked down at him. "_Have you thought about how you could use the Quaffle exploding to your advantage?_"

Regal put a claw to his chin in thought as we reached the sofa and collapsed on it. "To be honest, the light doesn't bother me too much, after all I can look directly at the sun without problem, it's more the sound that bothers me, so I could make it explode near one of the opposing Chasers to incapacitate it for a short while."

Sparta nodded eagerly. "_Exactly! It explodes like a flashbang, so you can use it to temporarily blind an enemy player. Sure, they'd have a throw-in equivalent, but who cares if you just stopped them from getting the Snitch!_"

The thunderbird nodded, considering the advantages we had. "There is something we both are the best at: flying into a storm! Not sure if there is any weather condition worse than a storm, probably a blizzard, but if there is, we should everytime 'tune it down' and use our natural affinities with it to score as much as we can."

Kevin nodded. "_We'd have to talk to the rest of the team about that, but still. We should use every advantage we can get._"

Gem came over to us, taking in our exhausted appearances. "So, where have you four been?"

"Trying out for Ultimate Quidditch!" Regal said excitedly.

Driscol yawned tiredly. "_Same. Although we did go to _space _earlier._"

Paddles spewed out most of his drink in shock. "You what?"

Regal shrugged his wings "I've stopped being surprised after the triple consciousness, apparently he can now survive in the void."

We shuddered. Void. That word had a lot more meaning now. It was the name of a being so immensely powerful that he was one of two people that had made the _multiverse_. And it was the name of his realm- a place that served as a collection bin of the realms and the home of the Shadows.

Shaking off that train of thought, Kevin said "_It was really weird, too. We couldn't hear anything, and our sense of balance went off, but we killed a lot of spaceships, which was fun._"

Amara rolled her eyes and huffed. "Naturally you killed spaceships. Why wouldn't you?"

Sparta smiled. "_Gravity beams for the win!_"

We snapped our fingers as Driscol realised something. "_We can use them on their tractor beam setting to grab and manipulate the balls!_"

Sparta grinned "_I can't believe I didn't think of that!_"

"I could use my tails as a baseball bat if somebody throws the Quaffle to me." Regal said. "I can have a lot more power if I use my attack version instead of just hitting it."

Driscol looked at him quizzically. "_Aren't your tails more for flight stability though? You have all those feathers on the ends. You'd be better off kicking it._"

"I can recover if it's for one movement." The thunderbird explained. "Also, my other wings are more stabilising than my tails, and my tails are prehensile enough for me to do it." He turned to Jacob. "I'm pretty sure it's much more important for you."

Jacob nodded. "If my fins are damaged, bye bye sky. As evidenced by HTTYD 1, 2, 3, the specials, Race to the Edge, and any other related show that I haven't watched."

Regal nodded, then turned back to us. "I know my own abilities, so don't worry, I can use my tails as a baseball bat."

Sal sighed, shaking her head. "I've never been much of a fan of Ultimate Quidditch. It's completely mental."

Paddles nodded. "It is a blood sport, but I'm a big fan of it even though I can't fly. I have some recorded matches if you want to watch them. Nobody's ever died in a match, but there are a _lot _of injuries."

"And when he says a lot, he means a lot." Sal interjected. "Nobody escapes unscathed, and there's at least one person who breaks an arm or a leg."

Jacob nodded in agreement. "And the people doing it are either adrenaline junkies, thrill seekers, or just plain crazy. Cade's all three, but I thought you had a bit more sense Regal."

"_Hey!_" We yelled indignantly.

Regal tried to shrug, but he wasn't built for it. "Nobody is sane in my opinion anyways."

"Guess so." Amara said, glancing around the room.

Darius was cooking dinner, but paused to add his two cents. "Nobody in Locostral is sane. We've all lost something mentally, and none of us has quite regained it."

Regal shrugged off the rather depressing comment and said "Anyways, I'm now a Chaser and Cade is an Everythinger."

The whole room went so quiet you could have heard a pin drop.

Rosa broke the silence by asking "Is that bad?"

Jacob patted us on the shoulder. "Well you're gonna die, Cade. Can I have your severed heads when you do?"

Sparta looked scandalised. "_What? No!_"

Driscol looked around the room. "_Why is everyone staring like us like we already have one foot in the grave again?_"

Gem sighed. "Everythingers are generally the first to be knocked out of a match, and they get the worst injuries. Don't be surprised if all of the enemy team's Beaters and Everythingers come after you."

Kevin laughed. "_And do what? We can regenerate! Who cares how hurt we get?_"

Regal gave us a look. "Pretty sure you can still be knocked out. Also I've an advantage to avoid injuries: I've my danger sense, which works a bit like the Spider Sense, but a bit more accurate, I know where the danger comes from or is, and I can always ride a lightning bolt to avoid something flying at me, I can't be hurted in that state."

Slowly, everyone began grinning, and Paddles fist-bumped us. "You Sir, are going to be a _great _Everythinger."

Darius loudly announced "And dinner is served! Who's up for Pizza?"

* * *

"Hey cuzes." Amara said to us as we sprawled over the sofas after eating more than our fair share of food.

We gave a non-committal hum, our eyes closed as we tried to absorb ourself into the soft cushions. We had spent _way _too much energy today.

"You know what today is?" She asked.

"_No." _Sparta grumbled. "_Now go away."_

Driscol sighed, cracking open a bleary eye and focusing it on our cousin. "_Sorry Amara. What Sparta means is that we don't want to talk right now. It's… been a long day."_

"_We should probably go to bed." _Kevin suggested.

"_I ache too much to move." _Sparta groaned. "_And I lack the willpower to move anyway."_

"_But the bed is softer and warmer…" _Kevin moaned.

From behind us, we heard Gem sigh and chuckle "Shrink down to Jacob's size."

Too tired to argue, we did as our clan leader said. We were rather surprised when Gem scooped us up and onto her neck, but once we realised we were going to our room, we didn't complain. As Gem pushed open our bedroom door and laid us on the bed, we snuggled into the covers, pulling in whatever warmth we could.

"Goodnight, you three." Gem said softly as she tucked us in and turned off the light. "Pleasant dreams."

With Driscol and Kevin already dead to the realms, it was a muddled Sparta who murmured "'_night, big sis..."_

We were too out of it to notice, but Gem's smile broadened, and we could hear her whisper "That's not who I am, but if it's who you see me as, then why should I try to change your minds? Sleep well, little bros. Happy seventeenth birthday."

Then the door closed and we were left alone, except for the unfamiliar constellations of beautiful stars that shone in from our skylight and our family in the next room.

* * *

**Snapshot #5:**

Gem's smile only grew wider as she closed Cade's door. He saw her as a sister! For an only child who didn't have much social interaction in her life, taking other Plainswalkers into her clan and caring for them felt good, but this… This sense of belonging was what got her up in the morning.

It had all started from Jacob. She was the first person he'd ever opened up to about his past. He'd asked her if they could form their own clan when their old one had fractured, breaking into two from the sheer number of people in it. He was the first one to call her 'sister'.

Then there were Sal and Paddles. Both of them were grateful for taking them in, for accepting them, but neither of them saw her as family. They were close friends, but Gem knew that they were just that. Good friends.

Then there was Cade. Oh God. Cade had been hard… He took his introduction to Locostral fairly well, but she could see a noticeable difference in him every time they met. There was the empty, longing look of someone who was homesick, and it would get worse and worse every time she saw him. She knew that the sensation would gnaw away at him until he went back home, or took his life to end the emotional pain. Hell, Cade _had done _that before coming back to his senses.

And yet… at times, he was enjoying himself. Ot at least, using humor to get through life. He had Amara as his anchor, and hopefully her now too, and they could keep him grounded. There were also times where he'd proved himself a hero- the most notably being saving her from the control of Drago Bludfist's Bewilderbeast, and saving the innocent in his realm whenever he could. He was a good person, and he saw her as family. She'd be damned before she let her new little brothers come to harm because of something that she could fix.

Reaching the bottom of the ramp, she found herself face to face with Amara, who was looking at her with two of her heads, tracking Darius with another, watching TV with a fourth, and looking up at Cade's room with her fifth. Gem couldn't even begin to understand the concentration needed to be able to do that.

"How are they?" The five-headed dragon asked.

Gem smiled. "Sleeping. Sparta said something interesting though."

"Oh?"

"He called me his big sister."

Gem wasn't sure how she'd expected Amara to react to that, but wide smiles wouldn't have been her first choice. She probably would have picked jealousy as the most likely reaction to that statement.

Still, Amara was smiling. "Then like me, you're another thing for him to hold on to. Did you tell them that we baked them a birthday cake?"

Now Gem understood. "No. I decided to let them sleep. We can give it to them and do the song tomorrow morning instead."

Amara nodded. "You're letting sleeping dragons lie?"

Gem smirked. "Something like that. Cousin?"

Amara smiled back. "We aren't quite at that point yet, Gem. I don't know you that well, and I'm still rather new to this Plainswalking stuff. However, give it a few weeks, and then... maybe."

Gem nodded happily and moved on as Jacob squealed in joy after coming across a can of squirty cream in the fridge. She needed to move fast if she wanted to prevent mess-ageddon.


	26. Chapter 26- SABOTAGE!

**Author's note: I'm not exactly happy with how this turned out. I had to delete two fairly large sections and rewrite them as the first was a bit too mushy in regards to emotions, and the second had Cade being a bit too efficient at killing urgals. And then there was a lot of emotional stuff I needed to get right, which took a long time. Sorry for the slight delay, too. I usually update on the weekends, but it wasn't to be this time. Still, enjoy the chapter!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:**  
**dragonauthor: That death... brilliant. Using the weapons of mass destruction, I see. But as he's shy, I'd recommend changing the 'too quick to trust' to being slow to trust instead. Apart from that, it's all good.**  
**Blaze1992: As shown in this fic, if two or more Plainswalkers look after the same universe, they have to work with each other to preserve the timeline. There aren't duplicates of the same realm, but there can be different versions of it. For example, there's Transformers. G1 would have a separate realm from Beast Wars. As for the timeline, it doesn't reset or anything. As for preserving a Plainswalker's loved ones, the Lore I have for this wouldn't allow that. That's all I'm willing to reveal for now. I've got to have some secrets!**  
**Man4God: Thanks! Glad you're still managing to follow my stuff!**  
**MoosHeadFamLit: Well, she would have her own room, and she'd be free to decorate it how she wants, but I doubt that neurotoxin would be very effective against the other robots aboard the _Infinity_. ****TESTING**** would be required.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle. Everyone knows this already.**

**Edit as of two hours after publishing: Well, for some reason, the italics were gone first time round. Oops.**

**Big thanks to Wizz from the Discord server for helping me out with the more emotional stuff and for beta reading.**

* * *

Chapter 26: SABOTAGE!

The next day, we woke early and decided to head back to Alagaësia before anyone else woke up. We were more than a little concerned about how the events of today would work out. Eragon needed to be captured, but Saphira and Murtagh needed to remain free. As we packed our bags, we thought about the problem. This would be difficult to pull off in a way that we'd be seen as the good guy…

As we landed next to the departure pool of rift, we saw that a few other Plainswalkers were gathering there, saying their farewells to each other before dropping through the kaleidoscopic orange material one by one. Apparently, it was considered bad manners to go through side by side, so a small queue had formed of people waiting to go through.

Sparta yawned widely, all of his teeth showing as Driscol tried to plan and Kevin ate a croissant.

"_So what are we gonna do?_" Kevin asked, his tongue flicking out and running around his mouth, picking up flakes of pastry.

"_I think I have a plan._" Driscol said. "_If we send Amara out on patrol, then stay behind to look after the others while we're human-sized, then we can… I dunno. Do something._"

"_We'll wing it._" Sparta said.

The rest of us looked at him in shock.

"_Was… was that a joke?_" Kevin asked.

"_If so, it was exceptionally bad._" Islingr commented.

Sparta growled, looking away from the rest of us. "_Well, I tried to be funny. Everyone sees me as the guy who loves destroying stuff. I just don't… I... No, ignore me. I'm being stupid."_

Driscol glanced at Kevin, then gently nudged Sparta. _"Hey man. You can talk to us. We're you, after all."_

Sparta looked at the floor. _"It's… I'm not sure how to put it into words."_

Kevin hazarded a guess _"You don't want to be put into a box, do you?"_

_"No."_ Sparta sighed, thankful that someone understood what he was trying to say. _"I want to be judged on my personality, but after I blew a few things up, everyone sees me as addicted to destruction. It's like… no offence to you Kevin, but you got our pranking side, and everyone thinks that you're the stupid one."_

Kevin just laughed and pulled a face at Sparta, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out. It may have looked ridiculous, but it did the job, and Sparta let out a snort of amusement.

_"So it seems you're fine with that."_ our right head chuckled. _"As for you Driscol, you seem the most like we did while we were still one person. I can look at you and say, 'That's Cade, but who are the other guys?' That's what annoys me. I don't feel like how I used to. As well as the fact that I can't place what I got from us."_

Driscol's eyes widened and he wrapped himself around Sparta in a neck-hug. _"I'm sorry. I'm not sure how I can help, but I'm sorry."_

_"Come on guys, it's our turn!"_ Kevin said, interrupting the moment. _"May I?"_

_"Are we going to regret this?"_ Sparta asked.

_"Nope!"_ Kevin said happily.

_"Then… fine."_ Driscol sighed.

Kevin grinned as we began to charge towards the departure pool. At the last second before we fell in, we jumped, wrapped ourself into a rough ball, and yelled _"CANNONBALL!"_

* * *

As we emerged into the realm of the dragon riders, trails of the rift clinging to us as we stowed our key in one of our bags, Islingr asked _"What is a cannonball?"_

Sparta's eyes gleamed. _"A cannon is a weapon. Cannonballs are ammunition. You remember when we had that mental battle?"_

_"And I was heavily defeated, yes."_ Our mentor said. _"Why?"_

_"The vehicles that had the… well, I guess you'd call them long sticks, those are called tanks. A cannon does the same thing as a tank- shooting a projectile a long way- but it's nowhere near as mobile. A cannonball is just that. A ball of metal shot out of a cannon."_

_"Then why did Kevin yell 'cannonball' when you jumped into the rift? There were no cannons there."_

Driscol sighed. _"It's a thing that people say when they jump into swimming pools and curl up into a ball."_

_"But… why?"_ the confused Islingr asked. _"What purpose does that serve?"_

_"Fun?"_ Kevin offered as we shrugged.

"_Hmm_." was all Islingr said.

* * *

It was another few hours before we found Eragon, Saphira and Murtagh on the outskirts of Gil'ead. Spiralling out of the sky, we landed beside them, our massive wings beating up a small hurricane of dust.

_"Ghidorah."_ Saphira said happily.

_"Hello."_ We replied, bobbing our heads in greeting.

_"Could you be more mindful of how you land next time?"_ Eragon complained, rubbing at his eyes.

"_Sorry_." Kevin apologised before Driscol intercepted him, as he was snaking towards Murtagh with his tongue out, planning to lick off the dust.

"_Amara should be here soon._" our center head reported.

"_Status report?_" Sparta asked.

"_What_?" Eragon asked.

In perfect sync, all three of us groaned, shook our heads, and looked to the sky in exasperation.

"_Honestly_," we complained, "_it's not that hard to understand what we're talking about._"

As everyone just looked at us blankly, we rolled our eyes and probed Eragon's mind for everything he'd done in the last few hours, leaving everything else untouched. We were in and out as fast as, appropriately, lightning, although he still let out a surprised cry and raised his shields as we exited.

Kevin blinked as he realised what we had just done. _"We just hacked his mind. Deliberately."_

Sparta's eyes widened. _"We're... slipping."_

Driscol nodded, fear evident in his face. _"We're losing ourself… Are we still the same person we started out as?"_

Sparta deadpanned at him, then used a wing to indicate himself and Kevin.

_"You have a point."_ Driscol said. _"But… morally, I mean. Are we still the same guy we were when we…" _glancing down at our company, he switched to_ "were exiled?"_

_"I don't know…"_ Kevin said, his voice quavering.

* * *

For the rest of the day, all three of us thought about it, unsuccessfully.

Islingr tried to help by saying _"I did not know you while you were a human, which I still have trouble believing, but you three are a very good dragon, even if you don't even have the vanity as a hatchling."_

That boosted our mood slightly, but when Amara turned up in the afternoon, we asked her whether we were the same person as she knew us as. She scratched the chin of one of her heads before gesturing for us to follow her. We did as she asked, trailing a good distance away from the camp, but keeping it in sight.

Amara turned to face us, choosing three of her heads to lock eyes with ours while the other two kept a lookout for any danger. "Cade. Neither of us are the same as we were back on-"

_"Cut the bullshit!"_ Sparta snapped, tired of us questioning ourselves so much and just wanting a straight answer. _"We fucking know we're not the same! We're a three! Headed! Dragon! Now-"_

"And I'm a five-headed one!" Amara interrupted. "A literal fucking goddess!"

Angry at being cut off, we began yelling in earnest. _"WE HAVE IT HARDER THAN YOU DO! WE HAVE EACH OTHER TO DEAL WITH! WE CAN'T GO A DAY WITHOUT GETTING INTO A SMALL ARGUMENT WITH OURSELF!"_

"AND I'M CONSTANTLY TERRIFIED OF LOSING MYSELF TO MY INSTINCTS!" Amara countered. "GROW UP, CADE! YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY ONE WITH ISSUES! I DON'T WANT TO END UP GOING TO SLEEP ONE NIGHT AND NOT FINDING MY SANITY WHEN I WAKE UP! I MISS MY OLD BODY AS MUCH AS YOU MISS YOURS, BUT AT LEAST YOU DON'T HEAR ME MOANING ABOUT IT ANYWHERE NEAR AS MUCH AS YOU DO!"

_"YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT WE'RE GOING THROUGH!"_ We roared in rage. _"WE KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE REDUCED TO THE DESIRE TO KILL, RIP AND MAIM! AND WE'LL BE DAMNED BEFORE IT HAPPENS AGAIN! YOU DON'T KNOW HOW MUCH WE HATE THIS BODY! WE HATE BEING THREE PEOPLE, AND WE WANT OUT!"_

"REALLY?!" Amara yelled sarcastically. "I HONESTLY HAD NO IDEA… APART FROM WHEN YOU TELL ME THAT EVERY SINGLE FUCKING DAY! I HATE MY FORM TOO, AND I WISH THAT I COULD BE HUMAN EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF EVERY DAY, BUT I'M LEARNING TO DEAL WITH MY SITUATION! GET OVER YOURSELVES AND STOP ACTING LIKE A WHINY BRAT!"

We kept on yelling at each other, our conversation and gestures getting wilder and wilder. Energy from both of us began to build up and up, and we weren't surprised when small gravity beams started flickering over our golden scales. However, we didn't expect for a shining, white light to envelop Amara.

She glanced down at herself, then at us in panic as the light intensified. "Cade, what's going on?!"

_"I don't know!"_ Driscol yelled as we stepped back and shielded our eyes. _"It's not us!"_

After one last flash, the light died, leaving us blinking the afterimage out of our eyes with a growl of annoyance. As our vision refocused, we looked around. Everything was the same as before, with one exception. No Amara.

_"Cuz?!"_ Kevin called out, his head swivelling around. Sure, we'd just been damning each other to hell, but when one of the participants of the vocal battle vanishes, you tend to look for them.

"Here…" came a quiet groan. "Everything feels… wrong."

We looked down, and almost jumped out of our skin in shock. Near our feet, tiny in comparison to us, was a small… human.

_"A… Amara?"_ Driscol asked, stunned.

The human groaned, cracked open her eyes, and winced from the sunlight. "Cade? Is that you three up there?"

We mutely shrunk down to our cousin's new size and took in her appearance. She had the same face that she had in her first life. Amber eyes, auburn hair, and the small scar below her right ear from when we'd accidentally hit her when we were having a swordfight with sticks when we were six. Apart from that, there was very little resemblance. She was covered with armour, but in the gaps, we could see that she was incredibly muscly, and quite a bit taller than she had been in her past life. She would easily be able to go up against an urgal and win.

Speaking about combat, we looked over her armour. It wasn't on Skölir's level, but it wasn't anything to sniff at either. It was a combination of silver-coloured plates of metal and red scales that were identical to those she had as a dragon. Amara's five heads had also transferred to this form, although they were metallic and built into the armour; one on each shoulder, one on each forearm, and one acting as her helmet, the lower jaw having split to allow her face to show.

She also had a sword lying by her side. Again, it couldn't be compared to Omen, but it wasn't that bad either. It was a long, silver blade, probably a double-handed weapon. On it's pommel was a red D20, silver numbers set into it. On the blade itself, the words 'Natural 20' were written in red.

So, Amara was somehow human again. We weren't sure how it had happened, but we were undeniably jealous of her. It was only then that we realised that we'd been staring at her for about five minutes, and she was checking her new form out.

"Oh… my… God." Amara said in shock, raising her arm and flexing her fingers experimentally.

We could see the tears of joy in her eyes as she hugged herself in ecstasy and rocked back and forth. For us, all we could do was feel envy, which led to guilt. We should be happy that Amara's happy! Supporting each other was what family did. But when we thought back over what had just happened, it seemed cruel. We were having an existential crisis about our morals and had asked Amara for help. In response, she'd unloaded on us, and then had her problems magically solved by whatever had just happened! That was nowhere near fair!

We snorted angrily and started walking back to the campsite, growling lowly as we grew back to regular size.

"Cade, wait!"

Trembling with rage and bitterness, we tuned her voice out, trying to keep control of ourself. She was human again. As to how, a vague scrap of information floated out of the back of our minds that Tiamat had a human form. Amara had loved springing that on us when we were still human. Had her wish to have her old body again been granted by some ability that had kicked in as we were screaming at each other? Well, that was obvious. Yes, it had. And we had no such power.

We stopped in our tracks and clenched our hands into tight fists, blood roaring in our ears as we tried not to lose it and blow everything around us up. We weren't just a teenager who could strop around, throw something at a wall and vent. We were a powerhouse of destruction. If we lost control here… Well, there would be no stopping us.

We weren't quite sure when Saphira had joined us, but we definitely welcomed her presence.

_"Ghidorah, what ails you?"_ the blue dragoness asked.

"..._Jealousy_." Kevin tried to say evenly, although it came out as a loud growl.

_"Of who?"_

_"Amara."_ Sparta said, spitting out a gravity beam which turned a tree to dust.

Our cousin's name was almost a trigger for us to kill everything that mov- scratch that, just everything. And we were scarily close to following it, our muscles having briefly spasmed out of control, and gravity beams charging in our mouths.

Realising what we were doing, we let the sparks in our mouth die into nothingness and shook our heads, trying to cleanse them from the burning, consuming rage.

"_I do not understand._" Saphira said, cocking her head to the side. "_Why are you three jealous of her?"_

There were distant alarm bells ringing in the back of our mind. This conversation was moving into dangerous waters.

_"She has this… ability."_ Driscol said. _"We're jealous of that."_

_"An ability besides the ones her five heads possess?"_ Saphira asked in surprise. _"What is it?"_

Hmm. How should we take this?

Sparta shook his head. _"If we say what it is, we will completely lose it. And last time we lost it, we became three people, which we still hate."_

_"Would we become nine people if we went crazy again?"_ Kevin wondered.

Driscol and Sparta both glared daggers at him.

_"If you've jinxed us…"_ Driscol started.

_"We will never forgive you."_ Sparta finished. _"Being three people is hard enough! Nine… and we'd be headed towards a mental asylum._"

Though she didn't understand everything we'd said, Saphira still understood the context of the joke, and she let out a draconic laugh. The simple act lifted our mood a little, but we were still burning up inside. The fires of our anger had been dimmed somewhat, but we were still wound tighter than we felt was safe for our charges.

_"You should probably go."_ Driscol sighed. _"We don't trust ourselves at the moment, and if we're around the others, we can't promise that we won't explode at them."_

Saphria looked put out, but she nodded in understanding. _"Will you be with us tomorrow? We should be on our way to the Varden by then."_

_"Depends how homicidal we feel."_ Sparta said dryly.

It wasn't intended as a joke, but Saphira chuckled. _"Very well. And if you do not appear, I shall make sure that you are following us rather than moping around."_

_"Moping around?!"_ Kevin asked incredulously. _"When have we ever moped around?"_

Despite being a dragon, and having very limited knowledge of human facial expressions, Saphira pulled off a very good deadpan.

_"Right, where did you learn that?"_ Sparta demanded.

Saphira spread her wings and prepared to take off. "_From you._"

With that, she beat her wings and soared off into the evening sky.

_"Y'know,"_ Sparta said to the rest of us, _"we've accidentally given ourself an excuse to allow Eragon to be captured."_

The corners of Driscol's mouth twitched upwards, but he still had a scowl on his face. _"So we have. Doesn't mean we're not still pissed off, though."_

* * *

We slept by ourselves that night. Wearing Skölir. As per our usual arrangement, one of us always stayed on watch, keeping a lookout for any danger. Therefore, it was no surprise that we flew awake when Saphira roared in alarm a few hours before dawn. We were ready and raring to bring the pain.

The fight was in full swing by the time we arrived, rock music blaring from our boom box. Eragon had already been taken, Murtagh was almost overwhelmed by the urgals, and Saphira was surrounded. Charging into the fray, we began shooting into the mass of enemies, turning them to dust.

There were screams of panic from the urgals, but we didn't bother with battle cries. This was kill or be killed. Gravity beams fired, claws slashed, teeth gleamed, and blood spurted. Our tails slammed into the ground, shockwaves sending both limp and living bodies flying. Then we either blasted, consumed or diced our enemies. No-one would escape our onslaught.

The carnage was over within minutes. Nothing remained of our opponents except for ashes, the occasional club, and piles of dust. Doing one last sweep of the perimeter, we let the charges in our mouths fizzle away, and turned off the music as blood dripped from our armour.

Glancing around the camp, we saw that a lot of stuff was wrecked. If the horses hadn't been tied to a tree, they would have bolted long ago. Most of the contents of the saddlebags were spilled over the ground. A lot of the food had been stomped into the muddy ground, the waterskins were now empty, and any other possessions were either damaged, or broken beyond repair.

Murtagh seemed to be okay, so we turned our attention to Saphira. She was frantically looking for Eragon, mentally yelling his name as she charged around the camp. We could hear the fear and sorrow in her voice, and it was utterly heartbreaking to witness.

As she finally came to a stop, she threw back her head and howled in complete misery. _"Eragon is gone! My rider! The partner of my heart! My Little One! Captured! Taken! I'll rip the ones responsible for this apart! I'll bathe my claws in their blood! I'll destroy everything in my way to get him back!"_

We wrapped a wing around her and hugged her tight. Usually, we didn't have this much physical contact with other people, but Saphira needed the support.

_"We're going to get him back."_ We promised her. _"No matter what happens, we'll make sure you two are reunited, then we rain death from above on his captors."_

Saphira clung to us, not saying a word, but we could feel her gratitude and relief. Tears trickled from her eyes and down her face, dripping off onto us.

We waited a few minutes for Saphira to collect herself before releasing her and asking _"Are you going to be alright?"_

_"When I have Eragon back, I will be."_ She replied.

_"Don't worry, we'll rescue him."_ Driscol said confidently.

Saphira nodded, so we turned our attention to Murtagh. He was leaning against a tree, recovering from the fight we'd just been through.

As he saw us looking at him, he said "Thanks for the save. I don't think that I could have held them off much longer."

We nodded, and were about to reply before remembering that we wouldn't get through to him with his barriers up. Growling in frustration, we wrote out 'Permission for mental communication?' in the mud.

Murtagh read it and scowled. "Why? You can write out what you need to say."

'This is slow and ineffective.' We wrote out. 'Eragon is gone. We need to plan to get him back.'

He read that and shook his head. "My mind is the only sanctuary I have that hasn't been violated. I won't let anyone intrude in it."

'Stubborn jackass.'

He actually laughed when he read that, but he still shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, and I understand that this hinders things, but I absolutely refuse."

We growled and wrote out 'You're lucky we're a nice person. We have the strength and the ability to get into your head, but we respect your decision. Though this will be a nightmare to communicate on our part.'

"Sorry." Murtagh apologised again. "So, do you have a plan?"

'Not yet. We're going to see if we can see where Eragon's been taken. In the meantime, gather everything together and prepare to move. The Urgals know we're here now.'

Murtagh nodded and began packing up as we switched to scent and began to track Eragon's trail. Saphira followed us as we tracked the young rider by scent, and the footprints of the urgals that had taken him. Their size was a benefit in that regard, as their weight made the prints deep and easy to follow.

As Saphira and we reached the edge of the trees surrounding Gil'ead, we slowed our pace, and let our vision do the work. The urgals were talking with a group of soldiers, and… Durza.

The Shade was a sight to behold. He was tall, and stood with an aura of power about him. He only wore black clothes that wouldn't restrict his abilities in combat, and a black cape that fell to his ankles. His face was as white as chalk, his hair was blood-red, and his eyes were crimson. His teeth were shark-like, which mush have made eating a pain, and he carried a sword that rested in a sheath at his hip. He also had this… aura to him that screamed of death, violations of nature, and made our connection to the rift tingle. Perhaps it was because a Shade was some kind of watered down version of a Shadow?

The Urgals threw the limp form of Eragon to the ground in front of the group, and then brought out another, cladded in armour that we recognised as Amara's human form. Naturally, our idiotic cousin had gone and got herself captured. If we were in her position, at least we'd have been able to use Omen proficiently enough to defend ourself.

At the sight of Eragon, Saphira started to move forward, but we put out a hand to stop her. At her questioning stare, we pointed out Durza.

_"That's a Shade."_ Sparta scowled. "We can't break cover and rush them without him managing to kill Eragon."

Spahira growled but held back, and we could tell that she was cursing the Shade to whatever pit of hell he'd crawled out of.

When she finally spoke again, she asked _"Who's the other human?"_

Just to check, we squinted at the armoured figure, who'd just had her helmet torn off. Yep, that was Amara, even though there was a trickle of blood dribbling out the side of her mouth.

Growling in anger, envy, and at our cousin's stupidity, we sat back on our haunches as the soldiers picked up the two limp figures and began to carry them away as the urgals left. Durza quickly reached the head of the column of soldiers, and they vanished behind a row of houses.

_"You may recall our jealousy over a certain ability our cousin has?_" Driscol asked.

Saphira wasn't dumb. She connected the dots, and her jaw dropped open. _"You… she... I…"_

"_Yeah_." Kevin said, glaring after where Durza had disappeared. _"That was Amara. And she got herself captured. Great going, cuz."_

Saphira was still stunned. "_I… that can't be true."_

"_Can't it?_" Driscol asked. "_We can grow and shrink. Shape-shifting isn't too far from that, is it? Besides, Werecats exist here, and they can easily transform from one form to another."_

_"The longer I remain in your presence, the less I believe anything will surprise me."_ Saphira said, shaking her head in disbelief.

Sparta smirked. _"Trust me, when you learn where we disappear off to every now and then, you'll be so stunned that you'll never get over it. Now let's get back to Murtagh and tell him what we saw. He knows more about Gil'ead than we do, so he'll have a better plan than we can come up with."_

Saphira nodded, and the four of us slunk away to plan our rescue.

* * *

It took two days and a wait into the night before we were ready to strike. Murtagh had bribed someone to leave a certain door open, allowing him and us to get into the prison's kitchens. Yeah, we shrunk down to our human size and went with him, a large and baggy cloak hiding our draconic features. To our immense dislike, that made us look a lot like a Ra'zac, but if we wanted to help, we had to grin and bear it.

Saphira was acting as our lookout as we entered the complex's kitchen, keeping an eye on the movements of the guards. Islingr was hidden where we'd left the two horses, although she was keeping an eye on things as best she could. As Murtagh walked to the next door and checked if the corridor beyond was empty, we tore off the cloak, revealing Skölir in all its glory. Our crimson armour flickered in the candlelight, seeming more like a liquid than a solid that we were depending on to save our life if the need arose. Which it probably would.

"Ready?" Murtagh whispered.

We put on an extra few feet of height before drawing Omen, extending it to full length, and flicking through the tracks on our boom box. The plan was simple. We'd act as a distraction, drawing as much attention as we could from Murtagh, who'd go down to the cells and free our companions. Saphira would be their getaway dragon, and she'd pick them up before we returned to our regular size and laid waste to the city. Well, the parts of the city that only had soldiers in them. We didn't want to hurt anyone innocent in all this.

As we selected our track and swung the boom box onto our back, we nodded to Murtagh. He swung the door open, and we charged through it with three roars of challenge, the sound of Sabotage blaring so loud that it shook the floor. We had been very tempted to go with Breaking the Law instead, but we thought that this was more appropriate. We were sabotaging Alagaësia's timeline as much as we were sabotaging Durza's efforts to extract information from Eragon, Arya, and probably Amara too.

The first soldier we encountered barely had time to scream as we blasted him into dust with a gravity beam, then kept on moving. Turning a corner and breaking through a wooden door, we stumbled into some kind of great hall in the middle of a cloud of splinters. As it turned out, the large room was full to the brim with soldiers, most of which just stared at us in shock. Well, the distraction part of our plan was working. Now for the fighting.

With a disturbingly gleeful set of roars, we laid into them by shot and sword, gravity beams and Omen flashing as we cut them down. Each of the soldiers represented our problems, fears and troubles. Getting shafted into this body? Arm sliced off Omen, then bludgeoned with a tail. Getting split into our multiple consciousnesses? Run through the chest, then had his head torn off by one of our jaws. Amara getting a human form? Arms and legs torn off, then mauled and left to bleed out. The worry that someone would eventually learn of our knowledge of Alagaësia's future? Triple gravity beams to the face.

Before long, we were left with the dead, the dying, and those who were crying and hugging themselves in fear. We let them live, passing on to the next room as blood dripped down the walls, and the screams of the dying sang along to our hard rock.

We kept on moving through the complex, killing everything in our way. If it had a weapon, we killed it faster. Part of our mind kept on nagging at us that this was wrong, that we were lowering ourselves to the level of a murderer. However, another part of us said that this was right, that we this was justified, that we should paint the place red with blood. And we listened to it.

We did a couple of loops of the upper floors before deciding that we'd culled all resistance there and went down to where the cells were. There were a few corpses of soldiers, arrows sticking out their chests, but we paid them no attention. We charged down a couple of corridors and round a few bends before we finally bumped into Murtagh, who was having trouble with a locked cell door.

We sheathed Omen and padded up to him, tapping him on the shoulder as blood dripped from Skölir and onto the floor. Murtagh jumped, spun around, then couldn't seem to decide whether to be relieved or terrified.

"Oh, it's you three." He said, taking in our bloodstained, yet completely unharmed appearance.

We nodded and gestured at the door.

"It's stuck." Murtagh confessed. "As soon as I touched a key to it, the lock melted itself shut."

Gesturing for him to move aside, we looked through the tiny barred window and into the cell. Eragon smiled weakly as he saw us, but we could see that he was weak from having to miss out on food and water due to the drugs in them.

"Thank you... for coming…" He said weakly.

_"No problem."_ Driscol smiled. _"It's our job to look after you. Besides, we like you. Friends look out for each other, don't they?"_

Eragon nodded, and we told both him and Murtagh to step back as we looked at the door. A tail strike would just dent it if it had magical protection on it. Ripping it out might be possible, but we didn't know if that would destabilise the wall… hang on. The door was metal. The wall was stone. It didn't take a genius to figure out what was easier to break.

After telling Eragon to move as far away as possible, we lined up out tails to the section of wall next to the cell door, then pulled them back. In a quick motion, we span around, our tails swinging through the air like flails. When they hit the wall, they crashed through it like it was made of duplo. Bits of stone flew everywhere as a cloud of dust puffed into the air. We dissipated it with a beat of our wings, revealing a large hole in the wall and a coughing Eragon.

_"You alright?"_ Kevin asked him.

"Yes, I'm fine." Eragon said, coughing from the small dust storm.

"Good." Murtagh said. "Now let's find Amara and get out of here."

"So you know about that?" Eragon asked.

"_Duh_." Sparta said, rolling his eyes.

"I know about it, but I'm still working on believing it." Murtagh said, shaking his head. "Magic seems to have no bounds to its uses."

"_So you saw her?"_ We asked, fixing all three of our heads on Eragon.

He nodded sadly. "We shared a cell for a time, and she explained who she was. I didn't believe her at first, as I was under the influence of those magic-blocking drugs at the time. Then she started talking about things that only she and I had done, and that removed any doubt I had."

_"And where is she now?_" Driscol said. It sounded more like an order than a request for information.

Eragon hung his head. "I don't know. He took her away after I refused to answer his questions. I… I don't know what happened to her after that."

Our eyes narrowed. Even though we were still pissed at Amara, she didn't deserve to be… well, we presumed she was being tortured by Durza. We just didn't know. And after knowing what would happen the entire time we'd been here, that was disconcerting.

"_Okay, we're altering the plan slightly._" Sparta said, Eragon translating for Murtagh's benefit. "_You two, get to somewhere where Saphira can pick you up. We're going to find Amara, bust her out, and then retreat._"

"But there's an elf here!" Eragon said. "I saw her! We have to rescue her!"

Oh yeah, we needed to liberate Arya too.

"_Fine_." Driscol said. "_New plan, we stay together and get both our cousin, and the elf._"

"But you said that it would be better if we split up!" Murtagh protested.

_"That was before we had to get out three people instead of two."_ Sparta said. _"If you each carry someone, then it's harder for you to defend yourselves. We can easily take care of anything that comes our way… except maybe the Shade."_

Eragon and Murtagh glanced at each other and nodded.

"Then let's go." Driscol said, and the five of us charged off to find Amara and Arya.

* * *

It was actually ridiculously easy to find the two. All we had to do to find her was search for their minds, which to their credit, were holding strong. Knowing that breaking into their heads would take too long, we simply went in the direction we could sense the two, as they were close enough to be in neighbouring cells.

On the way there, we took a slight detour through the guardroom to get Zar'roc, Arya's weapons, and Amara's sword and armour. Eragon scoffed down the scraps of food that had been left there and put on his sword as we ripped a banner off the wall and bundled Amara's armour and sword up in it. Murtagh took possession of Arya's weapons.

Honestly, we were surprised that they were still here. Arya had been held here for as long as Saphira was alive, so just over six months. If we were Galbatorix, we would have tried to reverse-engineer elvish weaponry to give the troops under our command a better chance in battle. However, Galbatorix wasn't a logical thinker, thank goodness, so Arya's blade and bow were still here.

After a minute or two of rest, we pushed on, heading towards the minds of Amara and one that we guessed was Arya from its large difference to the human mind. There was still little to no resistance any more, which we found suspicious. Was Durza planning something?

The two humans paused as we reached an open doorway, gasping in horror as they surveyed the next room.

"Gods…" Murtagh said in horror.

"Did the Shade do this?" Eragon wondered, evidently fighting the urge to throw up.

Poking our heads past them, we looked around the room. Mutilated and broken bodies lay everywhere. Blood stained so much of everything that it looked like a paint bomb had gone off. Tables were overturned and smashed, and there were blackened marks over the floor and walls. In short, it looked like something from a horror movie.

Driscol quietly answered Eragon's question. _"No. This was all on us."_

Both humans looked back at us in half terror, half shock.

Sparta glared back at them. _"This is a kill or be killed situation. We're not proud of having to do this, but it was necessary for this mission to succeed. Now come on. We don't want the Shade finding us, do we?"_

That got them moving again.

* * *

Eventually, we reached the cells holding Arya and Amara. The walls here were reinforced with some kind of thick metal, and only the tiny, barred window showed the prisoners inside. Given that the walls would take more effort to break down than we were prepared to expend, we used our gravity beams like laser cutters, blasting through the lock on Arya's cell in seconds. The door swung open, and the lock fell to the floor, revealing the elf.

She seemed semi-aware of what was going on, her dark green eyes looking at us in a daze before passing on to the two humans. Moonlight from the windows fell over her face, bathing it in a cool silver as she collapsed against the stone slab she was lying on. She smelled like a pine tree, reminding us of when we had christmas back- No! Mission now, nostalgia later.

Arya was shackled to slab, although we quickly cut through the binders on her wrists with our beams, and Eragon gently picked her up, his face enraptured by Arya.

Kevin prodded him. _"Hey! Concentrate on the rescue, not the rescued!"_

"But she's hurt…"

_"We can tend to her when we get to a safe location, lover boy!"_ Sparta snapped at him. "_Come on, get your head in the game!"_

The young rider blushed as red as our armour before shaking his head to clear it. "Sorry."

As we left the cell, Murtagh slipped Arya's sword into the sheath on her back, and slung her bow over her shoulder. Then it was Amara's turn to be freed.

We cut out the lock on her cell and almost punched the door off its hinges to get inside. Unlike Arya, our cousin was suspended from the ceiling in the middle of the room by black chains attached to her wrists. She had a ragged tank top clinging to her sweaty chest, and camo trousers sporting several rips and tears on her legs, but we could very clearly smell blood and burnt skin.

There was something else there too- a scent that brought back bad memories and unimaginable pain. An acidic waft that promised eaten flesh and wounds that would close slowly. The Bleach of Death. Seithr oil.

Wide-eyed, we quickly blasted away the chains. Amara groaned as we stood vertically and took hold of her as best we could without injuring her. Her amber eyes flickered open without much strength, and she squinted up at us.

"C… C… Cade?" Her voice was husky and cracked, and we barely recognised it as hers.

Holding her limp body like a baby in our arms, we gently stroked at her hair, tears forming in our eyes. Guilt and regret crashed down on us as we held her. How could we have let this happen!? Jealousy? No. That was a lame excuse. Spite was much more accurate, but it didn't quite fit. Arrogance? Yes. Arrogance. The moment we'd left her, she was near helpless, re-learning how to control her human limbs after being a dragon for so long. She had called after us for our help, but in our arrogance we'd squashed that request flat. Up until now, we'd thought that she'd deserved this situation. We thought she'd deserved to be captured, deserved to be tortured. And we had been so wrong.

Amara had just unlocked a new ability that we should have congratulated her on. Instead, we looked at it and we had only thought about how it could have benefited us if we had it. Would having a human form really be such an advantage? Our three consciousnesses would have made it a living, breathing prison. We would have fought ourselves for control, battling it out for who got to be in charge. In our current form, we each had a place to be, and a job to do.

Kevin was the guy in charge of our mental defence, and the one who always tried his best to lighten the mood when he could. Sparta was the warrior, willing to fight our enemies with brutal strength and overwhelming power. Driscol was our mediator, the one who kept us in line and on course, balancing out Kevin's easygoing segment of our combined nature, and Sparta's aggression. Together, we were just as powerful as we were as a single entity, if not more. We just had to stop complaining about how the situation was unfair and take advantage of it. Did we miss our old body? Sure. Would we go back to it after our revelation? It was hard to say it, but no. We were the One Who Was Many. It was time to live up to that name.

Looking down at Amara, we quietly cried _"When you came back to us at Christmas, we said that we'd be there for you. And just look at us now! We failed you! Our jealousy blinded us! Our arrogance and selfishness made us forget that we were the ones who should be keeping you safe! We're a scaly asshole who put our needs above the people we were supposed to be looking after! The people we were supposed to support and care for! And we let this happen to you!"_

"It's… okay…" Amara wheezed before letting out a racking cough. "I… may not… look it… but I'm… nowhere near… dying."

_"But this is our fault!_" we sobbed, our tears dripping onto our cousin's weak form. "_We're sorry, cuz! We're so, so, sorry!_"

"It's…" Amara tried to say before we cut her off.

"_Don't you dare say that this is okay!_" We shouted. "_We allowed this to happen!_"

Amara smiled weakly. "Argue later… escape now. Shade… coming…"

We nodded, trying to stop the flow of tears. "_Just hold on, cuz. We'll get you out and fixed. Just hold on._"

Amara nodded weakly before her eyes closed, and she fell into a light sleep, her mental defence collapsing. Our six eyes narrowed as Kevin got to work layering our defences over our cousin's. We may be to blame for letting Amara go through so much pain, but it was Durza who'd caused it. He was the one who'd burned her. The one who'd spilled her blood. The one who would have made her scream in pain as Seithr Oil was dribbled into her wounds. The Shade may have been killed by Eragon in the books, but now… we were going to be his reckoning.

Leaving the cell, with Amara in our arms, we saw that Eragon and Murtagh were both staring at us, and the wet lines on our faces.

"_Are you three… crying?_" Eragon asked.

We nodded wordlessly.

"Well, there's a first for everything." Murtagh said. "Now let's go. Concentrate on the rescue, not the rescued and all that."

Kevin smiled weakly. _"Now that sounds like advice from someone who knows what they're talking about. Come on, let's go to the roof. That'll make Saphira's life easier for pickup."_

The humans nodded, and together we began a search for some stairs.

* * *

After we eventually reached the roof, we took care of the few remaining defenders on top of it and waited for Saphira to land.

As she alighted at the far end of the roof, Sparta said _"Come on, let's get out of here before the Shade shows up."_

A cold chuckled filled the chilly night as we were halfway to Saphira. "I'm afraid it's far too late for that."

Turning, we saw Durza at the other end of the roof, sword in one hand, a ball of black fire in the other. Three growls of incandescent rage forming in our throats, we passed Amara to Eragon before unsheathing Omen and preparing to fight, flipping down our visors. We would fight to protect our charges, and we would fight for our cousin. Durza would be begging for his own tortures to be used on him when we were finished.

"Ghidorah, don't be fools!" Eragon yelled. "That's the Shade!"

_"We know._" Driscol said evenly. "_Saphira, go. We'll hold him off."_

_"But Ghidorah!"_ Saphira protested.

"_GO_!" Sparta yelled. _"Take the others to safety! Amara's life is in your claws!"_

Saphira looked like she wanted to protest further, and we would have argued back if Durza hadn't thrown his fireball at us and charged. We surged forwards to intercept the Shade, the sphere of dark flame hitting Skölir and vanishing into our armour without any effect. We clumsily swung Omen as Durza's eyes widened in surprise, but he parried our strike easily enough.

"_GO!_" We yelled again, blocking three quick thrusts and a swipe.

As we heard the sound of wings unfurling and a large rush of air, we arced Omen down in a silver slash. Durza raised his blade in both hands to block it, and he succeeded, our weapons meeting with a resounding clang. The shockwave jarred us a little, but we held our ground, pulling back and readying ourself for the Shade's next strike.

They came strong and fast, but our defence held. Durza was both strong and fast. However, so were we. We met every blow he threw at us, and even when he moved so fast that we almost missed it, Omen was there to block his sword.

We were feeling pretty proud of ourself until we got overconfident, and the Shade easily disarmed us with a flick of his wrist. Omen went spinning away through the night sky, and Durza stabbed us through the chest. If it wasn't for Skölir, we would have been shish-kebabed on his sword. We easily could have survived it, but the Shade didn't need to know that.

Swinging both our tails at Durza, we then dodged his next blow by rolling to our left and mentally reached for our sword, saying _"Omen, come to our hand."_

To our immense satisfaction, our sword did just that, rocketing out of the darkness, through the Shade's stomach, and into our outstretched hand. Durza screamed as we retreated, then used magic to heal himself as we took a few steps back and analysed the situation. We weren't skilled enough to take Durza in a swordfight, but if we used every advantage we had, we could easily win.

Durza, charged towards us, swinging his sword in a horizontal arc. We blocked his attack single-handedly, his pale sword clashing against Omen's shining silver with a reverberating clang. Then we used our other hand to punch the Shade in the stomach, and the tables turned.

Durza flew backwards at the force of our strike, but he landed on his feet in a long slide and yelled a word in the Ancient Language. Once again, whatever he was trying to do had no effect, and we used the opportunity to blast him with a gravity beam. Durza tried to dodge it, but lightning travels at a third of the speed of light, so there was no chance he'd be able to evade our attack. He roared in agony as the golden ray struck him, and that would have been the end of him if we had used full power. Well, he would have dissipated, not died, but still. Nearly the same thing.

As we finished firing, Durza roared in agony, and we were happy to see steam curling off his now charred and deformed face. He kinda looked like Palpatine after the sith lightning, except with the addition of third degree burns and one less eye.

"You will rue this day, beast!" Durza yelled, throwing his sword to the side and preparing to use magic. "Your puny attacks won't stop me! I'll have that Rider, kill the-"

We gladly used the opportunity to blast him again, this time in the stomach. Durza screamed as we put a little more power into this one, and he dropped to his knees and began contorting in pain, his mouth opening in a silent scream.

Ending that beam, we drew closer, grabbed Durza, and hoisted him up to our eye level. Then we hulked out. Sheathing Omen, we grabbed Durza by the feet and began beating him into the roof of the building, giving him no chance to regain his senses or retaliate. Slam, slam, slam, shake, slam, punch, roar, slam, slam and let go, kick through the now very fragile roof. Then we used a gravity beam in it's telekinetic mode to pull him back up through the hole.

The three of us snarled in the semi-conscious Durza's face, and he actually whimpered in fear.

"_The next time we meet, we won't be so merciful."_ We growled. _"Eragon told you that he was the Death of the Shadows. He was wrong. That's our job description. Have fun in respawning in agony, motherfucker."_

With that, we tore off both of his arms with sprays of dark fluid instead blood, and with one of us yelling _"AND I AM SPARTA!"_ we kicked the Shade off the roof. He fell, screaming a cry of pain that doubled in volume as he hit a hard cobblestone floor. A cloud of darkness billowed around the remains of his body, and with a shattering cry, he vanished, taking the cloud with him.

We took to the skies, roaring our victory to the world as we grew to our preferred size and did a victory lap of the city. Our proclamation echoed loudly in the dwindling night, and we gave three parting roars of triumph as we did a celebratory loop de loop. Still, Durza had underestimated us, and he hadn't bothered to use his skills in mental assault in this battle. Next time, we had a feeling that things would go differently, but for now we relished in our victory and happily soared through the slowly brightening sky. A new day was dawning, and we'd got our cousin back. That was all that mattered.

* * *

Snapshot #6:

"What. The. Fuck?" The Dark Tigershark said as he looked at the completely out of place object in bewilderment.

A voice came out of it. "I wanted one of these for six years, Gabe. And today, I have one."

"Zach, get out the ball pit. NOW."

The head of a T-Rex burst out of the sea of coloured balls. "Bazinga." Then it vanished underneath the surface, and the entire ball pit started to churn as Zach moved through it.

"Zach, don't make me come in there!"

"Bazinga."

"ZACH!"

"Bazinga!"

"THAT'S IT!"

"Noooooo! OW! Gabe, stop! OW OW OW! OFF THE TAIL!"


	27. Chapter 27: Race against Time

**Author's note: Reading back some of my older chapters, I'm seeing a lot of errors, partly due to my bad spelling, and partly due to Fanfiction messing up my formatting. When I hit chapter 30, I'll go back and correct everything before it, which will hopefully make it easier to read. We've also hit 20,000 views, so thanks to everyone who read my stuff, and to the people who have stuck with it. I really appreciate it. Anyway, here's the next chapter! Enjoy!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:**

**Daniel Clausen: Yeah, I had to keep Durzley (that was deliberate) alive until Farthen Dûr. Then he can be mercilessly killed. And thanks for that interesting stat! At this rate, Trial will almost definitely surpass the length of **_**Eragon**_**, which is crazy to think about. And yes, I think that I do better with fight scenes. Emotional bits aren't my strong suit. And yeah… it's been almost 9 months since I started this. How time flies…**

**Undead Night Fury: You're welcome to join, and thanks!**

**MoosHeadFamLit: Nice, and accurate, though I've never played Doom. Halo is my thing (from the MCC collection on Steam).**

**HalflingHobbit: I have read part of 'I am Number 4', and I did some research on the ****Chimæra, but I have never heard of 'Ranger's Apprentice'. Still, I'll try to cameo your guy in at some point, and thanks!**

**Cormin12: Only Plainswalkers who have a legit reason to shapeshift can. Cade can't, and he will remain that way. And every Plainswalker has certain adaptations to help their form fit in better with their new realm. For example, Cade now has three ****Eldunarí, where King Ghidorah doesn't have any, so when I say claws, think of Smaug in the Hobbit films, with fingers at that joint in the wing.  
**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

**Thanks to Regal Eagle for beta reading.**

* * *

**Chapter 27: Race against Time.**

We intercepted Saphira mid-flight as the sun peeked over the horizon, our massive wingbeats almost knocking her out of the sky given our relative sizes. After we gave her a bit more space, our fellow dragon roared happily, and we roared back in triumph as Saphira started a slow descent to where we'd left the horses.

"_Are you three alright?" _Saphira asked us.

"_We're fine." _Driscol reported. "_Absolutely uninjured." _

"_And we cut off the Shade's arms and kicked him off the roof." _Sparta bragged. "_He's going to respawn, but he's going to be in agony for quite a while."_

Eragon whistled, impressed.

"_How's Amara doing?" _Kevin asked in concern.

"I'm not sure." Murtagh said after Eragon relayed the question to him. "We'll have to check both her and the elf once we reach the ground."

We nodded, accepting Murtagh's statement.

"_You should be proud." _Islingr told us as we circled the campsite, allowing Saphira to land first. "_Nobody can claim to have come out of a duel with a Shade unscathed."_

Sparta snorted. "_It wasn't an even fight. He wasn't using his abilities to his maximum potential. We would have been hard-pressed to fight him off if he was taking us seriously."_

"_Perhaps." _Islingr said. "_But you three were holding back too. I have taught you enough for you to know that Shades can only be killed by something piercing their heart. And yet you attacked him ferociously, delaying him and allowing your companions to escape. You were focused on inflicting pain on him."_

"_We wanted revenge for what he had done to Amara." _We replied. "_He'd hurt our cousin, and we were determined to pay him back for it. We… we need to find some way to forgive ourselves for leaving her. She didn't deserve whatever happened to her."_

"_You care for her as humans treat their family members." _Islignr noted. "_Dragons were never so protective of their nest-mates. To us, our brothers and sisters were competition. Not so much in our later years, but as hatchlings, we had to battle each other for the best of the food our parents brought us. I am beginning to think that the other races were superior to us in that regard."_

"_Yeah, but Amara's not our sister." _Sparta said. "_We're an only child."_

"_Even now?"_ Kevin laughed, earning him two smiles from the rest of us and a general sense of amusement from Islingr.

"_I wonder what Mom would make of us." _Driscol chuckled.

Kevin pulled off a rather accurate impression of Mom ranting. "_Cade Mason! Your father and I always told you that dying was a bad idea! The salary is terrible and now you have two extra mouths to feed! How are you going to buy a house at this rate? We taught you to be responsible, but what do you go and do? You get yourself involved in a multiversal war! We are _very _disappointed in you, young man!"_

Sparta and Driscol laughed, but the humor of the situation was a little marred by a pang of homesickness, and our worries about how bad our cousin was injured.

"_Come on, let's see how Cuz is doing." _Driscol said.

The rest of us nodded, and we landed with a loud thud that shook the ground. As we advanced towards Amara, we shrunk until we were Saphira's size before gently nudging Murtagh and Eragon aside. The others started their own conversation as we protectively curled up around Amara and started checking her for injuries.

Our cousin looked like she'd been on the wrong end of some kind of wild animal. And that was before we saw the burns, brands, and cuts. They were all fresh, and hadn't healed much. After all, Amara had been in captivity for two days maximum, but still. This was brutal. Add on the faint whiffs of the Bleach of Death, and we couldn't forgive ourself for leaving her alone when she transformed. We still had to pay for that, but as for Durza, our fight wouldn't be the Shade's only punishment for torturing our cousin.

We had half a mind to take her back to Locostral for treatment, although Eragon was competent at magical healing, and in the books, he'd managed to fix Arya apart from the poison that was in her. Perhaps he could help.

We were about to turn towards him when Amara yawned and blinked a few times before opening her eyes. "What time is it?"

"_Morning, cuz." _Kevin said as he nuzzled her hair affectionately.

"We got out okay?"

"_Yes." _Sparta said without any trace of arrogance or pride for beating Durza.

"And where are we now?"

"_Outside Gil'ead." _Driscol said. "_It's been a few hours since we got you and Eragon out."_

"Can you get me something to eat? I'm too tired to move."

"_We're on it." _Sparta said as Kevin gave Amara a happy lick.

Our cousin chuckled quietly, muttering something about three idiots she was related to as we got up and started to rummage through the saddlebags for something. During the two days we'd been prepping for the prison break, Murtagh had snuck back into Gil'ead with his fake beard and 'liberated' some supplies, so the provisions were all restocked.

Pulling out a hunk of bread, some cheese, and a waterskin, we returned to Amara, who was now shivering from the lack of our body heat. Curling back up around her, we offered her the food.

"Not the best breakfast I've ever had." She muttered as we tried our best to warm her up.

"_How badly are you hurt?" _Kevin asked.

"Not to bad." Amara said. "It's just surface wounds apart from places in my back where I think that guy with red hair dripped acid on me or something.

Kevin snarled instinctively and scratched at his neck, remembering the adventures of Captain Splashy. "_Seithr Oil. The Bleach of Death."_

"Excuse me?"

"_That's what it does." _Kevin said, looking our cousin straight in the face. "_It's an acidic substance that eats away at living tissue. It's what we were searching for to lead us to the Ra'zac in Dras Leona, remember?"_

"Oh. I'm assuming by that reaction that you have a bad experience with it, Kevin."

"_I was ****ing melted off." _Kevin said, shooting Eragon a glare.

There was a short pause before Amara burst into laughter. "You were _melted off!? _That's _priceless_... I can't get this image of you just slopping around in a bucket as Driscol and Sparta glare down at you!"

Sparta started laughing too while Kevin glared at our treacherous right head. Then he looked up at Driscol, activated puppy eyes and asked "_Do you still love me, Senpai?"_

That set Driscol off, and soon Amara and our middle and right heads were laughing hysterically as Kevin glowered at us.

Murtagh glanced at us and shook his head. "Crazy dragons."

Then Saphira slapped him with her tail, sending him sprawling as she and Eragon joined our party of laughing at someone else's expense. Murtagh and Kevin locked eyes and sighed. Poor guys.

* * *

Once everyone had regained control of themselves, we finally got round to asking Eragon to heal Amara. He nodded and approached our cousin, who allowed him to close all her wounds, although she squirmed around a lot, complaining that it itched. After she was all done, Eragon moved onto Arya.

She took a lot more of the young Rider's energy to heal, and Saphira had to help him. Unlike Amara, Arya had more wounds than not. Burns, brands, cuts, marks from whips, black and purple bruises… It was worse than we expected. However, there was no Seithr Oil. Perhaps Durza had been feeling particularly murderous towards the elf for making him lose Saphira's egg and wanted to break her slowly.

The full process took a few hours, and he was completely spent by the end of it.

"Is she gonna make it?" Amara asked, half to us, half to Eragon.

"I don't… I don't know." Eragon said, Saphira having to help keep him upright. "Elves are stronger than humans, but even they cannot endure constant torture like this without impunity. If I knew more about healing, I might be able to revive her, but..."

He let the sentence trail off.

Kevin put his ear to Arya's chest. "_Well, she's breathing and has a pulse. You healing the surface wounds would have helped too."_

Silence fell again, but this time, it was a little more hopeful.

"We should try to make some ground." Murtagh said as Eragon tore into lunch. "We're still much too close to Gil'ead for my liking."

We debated talking to Arya then and there, but Murtagh was right. We needed to move. We could make contact with her later.

* * *

The rest of the day was tense. At least, it was tense for the humans. Eragon and Murtagh had strapped Arya onto Saphira's saddle before mounting their respective horses. Then we realised Amara's situation, and we offered to give her a lift. She gladly accepted, and we spent an enjoyable afternoon just hanging out with Saphira and the unconscious Arya. Obviously, the elf wasn't a massive conversationalist, but we didn't do much talking.

Instead, our afternoon constituted in having to annihilate any and all soldiers on the two human's tails. From our limited knowledge of military airstrikes, Eragon was the guy with the radio, and we were the plane, although we just had to look down and spam gravity beams at our target. It was kind of fun, until we realised what we were doing, although we were so far down the 'kill or be killed' route, that we'd adjusted to having to take lives. And that was a morbid thought.

* * *

That evening, we landed alongside Saphira, a little tired, but not exhausted. We'd need to eat soon to replenish our energy. Eragon removed Arya from Saphira's saddle, and Amara slipped off our back, her armour scraping against ours.

They started talking, but we didn't especially care what they were discussing. We had an elf to contact. Curling up in our armour and giving the pretense of trying to rest, we extended our awareness to Arya.

We were about to generate our mindscape, but Sparta questioned. "_Will she even have enough strength to... simulate that, for lack of a better term?"_

"_I'm not sure." _Driscol said.

"_So we go the traditional route then?" _Kevin asked.

"_I guess so." _Driscol replied. "_Shame, though. I like having a mindscape."_

"_Same here." _Sparta said before asking Islingr "_Ebrithil, mind backing us up if we need it?"_

"_I do not believe that my services will be needed,"_ our mentor replied, "_but I shall help if you need it. Start with the traditional elvish greeting. That will show that you wish to help her."_

"_Got it." _Kevin said, and we focused on our connection to Arya.

The first thing we noticed was that elves' minds are weird. There's something undeniably non-human about them that we never got from anyone else apart from Rift. Although Rift made us feel like we were standing next to a nuclear bomb. Arya's mind was tamer than that, but it was still wild. It didn't feel like a human mind either. Everything was arranged logically, but with undeniable traces or 'weird'. It would be like having a set of filing cabinets with everything neatly in its place, but the drawers would be moving around- Inception style.

We sucked at languages, but we reckoned we could earn Arya's trust- or at least rouse her curiosity by using our muddled knowledge and swapping a few words out of general phrases. However, the elvish greeting was simple enough- just three lines that didn't change.

"_Atra esterni ono thelduin."_ We thought in greeting. May good fortune rule over you.

There was a silence after that that drew out for so long that Kevin "_Well, we broke her."_

"_Yeah…" _Driscol agreed, drawing out the word until it was just a sound. "_Mission failed, I guess."_

"_Atra du evarínya ono varda." _Arya finally replied. May the stars watch over you.

Well, she'd responded. After _10 minutes!_ Still, we weren't out of the mental woods yet. We were saying hello, but that wouldn't say anything about our intentions. Still, we may as well complete the greeting, then go from there.

_"Un atra mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr." _We finished. And may peace live in your heart.

In the Ancient Language, Arya asked "_Who are you, how do you know of my people's ways, and why have you contacted me in this manner?"_

Thanks to our _very _limited knowledge of the Ancient Language, we started off with "_Vae aí fricai un skulblaka. Vae kenna __älfakyn_ _fra Ebrithil." _

That roughly translated to 'We are a dragon and a friend. We know the elves from our master.' Well, the actual grammar that we'd used was _much_ worse than that, but we got the point across. We were her ally. Then we realised that we had no idea what to do next, so we flailed around with a couple of words before giving up.

"_Fuck this, can we switch to English please?" _Sparta asked in our native language. "_Or Common, or whatever you people call it? We're really crappy with languages."_

"_...Very well." _came the stunned response.

"_Cool."_ Driscol said. "_Right, where to start…?"_

"_Start on us?" _Kevin suggested. "_Then move on to what we're doing."_

"_Okay." _Dridcol nodded. "_Right, so we're Ghidorah, a three headed dragon. Separately, we're Driscol, Kevin, and Sparta. I'm Driscol. We come from a place beyond the sea, but we know a decent amount about Alagaësia. We're under oath to protect the new Rider, Eragon, and his companion, Saphira. She hatched… a little over six months ago if our math is right. We just had to free him from prison in Gil'ead, where we found you too. Your wounds were healed by Eragon, and we're now heading towards the Varden, although we don't know the way."_

"_This is… unexpected, Ghidorah-elda." _Arya said after a long pause. "_However, I am glad for your presence. I am Arya."_

"_Nice to meet you." _Kevin said as we tried to remember what we should and shouldn't know. "_But why haven't you woken up? We freed you last night, and your wounds are healed."_

Arya's tone turned somber. "_During my captivity, a rare poison, the Skilna Bragh, was given to me, along with the Empire's drug that suppresses magic. Every morning, the antidote to the previous day's poison was administered to me, by force if I refused it and tried to suicide so the secrets of the elves and the Varden would be safe. Without this antidote, I will die within a few hours. That is why I put myself into this trance."_

"_Ah, suspended animation." _Sparta said. "_Though a cryopod would be more effective."_

"_How long can you stay in this state?" _Driscol asked.

"_If I was at full strength, for weeks." _Arya calculated. "_Although after my imprisonment, that time would be drastically reduced. I have... perhaps five days to live."_

What? Five? By our calculations, Arya should have had eight or nine days from Gil'ead, nearly double the time! What had happened? Was it just that we'd delayed at certain points by being injured, or going to Locostral? Were we behind schedule for the urgal attack on Farthen Dûr?! We'd have to come up with alternate plans fast. Those would probably involve us in a mad dash towards the Varden.

"_Where can we get the antidote?" _Kevin asked.

"_It exists in only two places outside the empire." _Arya supplied. "_With the Varden, and my own people. However, my home is far beyond the reach of even dragonback."_

Hmm. If we grew to our maximum size and flew flat-out, we could probably get there fairly quickly. And Farthen Dûr was actually _further _from Gil'Ead than Ellesméra was, so what the heck was that about? Perhaps Arya just didn't want to disclose the information. But why would she? We were a dragon, a member of the species that she was fighting to restore. Unless she was referring to home in a metaphorical sense, but as we'd said a _long _time ago, we weren't a psychologist.

"_So how about the Varden?" _Sparta said. "_We were planning to go there anyway, but we don't know the way."_

Thinking about it, our crappyness in the Ancient Language was to our benefit here. We could lie in English, and nobody could stop us! Still, thank… Rift for that? Was Rift like that? Perhaps not. Besides, if we suddenly started saying that, Ragnar would be furious with us for revealing secrets and getting everyone into a panic.

Arya seemed hesitant to reveal the info, but she said "_I wish I could trust you on your word alone, Ghidorah-elda, but as you three know, these are dangerous times. I will share its location with you, as long as you swear that you will never reveal their location to Galbatorix or any who serve him."_

Well that was easy.

"_We swear." _The three of us chorused.

Then we were hit by a rapidly sped-up mental video of riding through the Beor Mountains to the far south. There was a long, eastward journey, followed by a turn to the south, and a route down a narrow valley that twisted and turned between the mountains, ending at the base of a waterfall that thundered into a lake.

"_It is far," _Arya said, "_but do not let the distance dissuade you. When you arrive at the lake at the end of the Beartooth River, a password is required. Take a rock, hit it against the cliff next to the waterfall, and cry 'Aí varden abr du Shur'tugalar gata vanga.' Then you will be admitted."_

"_And what's the antidote?" _Kevin asked.

"_Tell them... to give me Túnivor's Nectar."_ Arya said, her voice weakening. "_I am sorry, great dragon, but I have expended too much energy already. You must break contact with me, although if there is no hope of reaching the Varden in time, which is a very real possibility, I must impart information to you that is crucial to the Varden's survival. Farewell Ghidorah Skulblaka, and good luck."_

The mental connection fizzled away, and we returned to the fantasy-like reality of Alagaёsia as Murtagh said "Well? Is the desert open to us?"

Eragon was about to respond when Driscol butted in, saying "_Hold up. **** just got real. We talked with the Elf. Her name's Arya, she's been poisoned, and she doesn't have long to live."_

"What?!" Eragon said in surprise, spinning towards us.

We rose, stretching. Sparta said "_You heard. She can be cured, but she needs to either get to the Varden, or the other elves to be treated. She gave us the route to the Varden, but we won't be able to make it in time for her to live."_

Eragon swore, kicked a stone, and put his head in his hands. "Are you sure? There's got to be something we can do!"

"_There is." _Kevin said. "_When Sparta said 'we won't be able to make it in time for her to live', he meant for us as a group to get to the Varden. However, if we- as in us three- fly non-stop to the Varden, we might be able to make it in time."_

"Then go!" Eragon said, throwing out his arm in a gesture for us to leave. "If you can save her, go!"

"_And that's where we run into problem number one." _Driscol said. "_We won't be able to protect you at the same time. We'd have to…"_

He trailed off, and all three of us began thinking the same thing. We'd have to be in two places at once… which would be possible if we disgorged an Eldunarí. But we'd require some kind of housing for it… Sparta suggested that Amara could take possession of it, and nobody else would realise. But that would still have the problem of where exactly we'd put Arya while we were flying.

"_What if we use Locostral as a storage locker?" _Kevin suggested. "_Where we use our key here doesn't affect our position there, so we could leave her in our along with any junk we don't need, then come back here, go big, then set off."_

"_That works." _Driscol said.

Our brainstorm over, there were still some things we needed to take care of.

"_Eragon, if we leave, you need to know the location of the Varden." _Sparta said. "_We know it, and we'll share it with you if you swear the same oath we did in the Ancient Language: to never reveal their location to Galbatorix or any who serve him."_

"Are you sure?" Eragon asked, not happy about the concept of magically binding himself into a promise.

"_Arya's conditions, not ours." _Kevin said. "_We had to do the same thing."_

That seemed to settle his doubts, so he swore to the terms, and we sent him the route and gave him the passcode. That done, we asked Amara to follow us to a distance where we couldn't be overheard.

"_Cuz… we need you to keep something safe for us." _We said.

"And what would that be?" Amara asked.

"_You know that we have Eldunarí?" _Kevin asked casually.

Our cousin caught on to what we were planning very quickly after that. "Oh, no… Guys, you can't trust me with one of those! I'd accidentally lose it, or drop it, or-"

"_We trust you." _Sparta said, giving Amara a comforting nudge. "_We failed you once. We won't fail you again. Just make sure that it doesn't get broken."_

"Do you guys even know how to disgorge one of your... Eldunarí?" Amara asked us.

"_Err…" _Driscol said. "_Ebrithil, a little help?"_

"_Are you three sure about this?" _Islingr said seriously. "_Once you do this, there is no return. If your Eldunarí are broken, then you die. If Galbatorix or his agents come into possession of them, he will have power over you, and you would be forced to obey him, no matter his command. He could order you to kill your cousin, or to kill Eragon and Saphira. You would have no choice. You would have to attack."_

We shuddered at that concept, but if we wanted to do this, we had no choice. "_We understand the risks, but the benefits in this situation outweigh them. How do we disgorge our Eldunarí?"_

Islingr sighed. "_You will need to locate the Eldunarí within your body, then focus on expelling it. The sensation will be equivalent to having something stuck in your throat that must be expelled."_

"_Right, so basically we throw up something a little bigger than a football."_ We said. "_Let's get this over with."_

Widening our stance, we braced ourselves for what was inevitably going to happen. Puking up part of ourself was never in our general plan, but desperate times called for desperate measures. We felt something in our chest shift slightly, then the horrible feeling of three something forcing themselves up our throats. Our eyes widened and we stared at each other in panic. We'd only meant to disgorge _one_!

Still, there was no turning back now. We'd have to deal with whatever came next. Opening our mouths in preparation, our throats contracted a few more times before our Eldunarí eventually found their way into our mouths, and we securely wrapped our tongues around them before slowly lowering them to the ground.

This felt weird. We were both inside and outside our body simultaneously. The closest analogy we had for it was like driving that reconnaissance robot we'd used in the record raid in Teirm, but that was a severe understatement. We had no senses relaying back through our three glowing heart of hearts, except for a massive amount of awareness of the minds around us, and feeling _very _exposed.

As Amara started to wipe the dripping saliva off one of them, we winced at a sudden influx of mental information from her physical contact, and an even bigger surge of information going out. She could feel our thoughts, feel our emotions, and had full access to our memory, which we thought was both severely freaky, and a giant violation of our privacy.

Growling at Amara to not touch our three, small weak spots, we started slamming up mental barriers, shields, and defensive weaponry. She hurriedly scrambled backwards as we tried to get used to the new sensations. This was sacrily open. Too open for our liking. But we had to deal with it.

When we finally got the hang of managing the three cradles of our consciousnesses, we allowed Amara to approach as we started wiping our drool and goop off shining spheres. They were near perfectly round, and glittered the same gold colour as our scales. However, as we turned them over, we found a glowing orange symbol in them- a silhouette of our Plainswalker key, in the same colour as the rift.

"Did you mean to disgorge all three?" Amara asked us, flicking our drool in our faces.

"_Hey, cut that out!" _Kevin said, retreating out of range.

"_No." _Driscol said, nudging one of the gold orbs with one of our fingers. "_We only meant to cough up one. This was an accident."_

"_It also puts you at three times as much risk." _Islingr pointed out.

"_We could stash them in Locostral." _Sparta suggested. "_Make sure that the others know what they are and how important they are, and they'll be safe."_

"_Talking about Arya, can we stash her in a cryopod?" _Kevin asked. "_It'd stop the poison's effects."_

"_But she'd mentally detect the change." _Driscol argued. "_She'd realise that something would be going on, and question it."_

"_Then… can we heal her there?" _Kevin suggested.

"_No, because it'd raise a lot of questions." _Sparta said. "_If Arya was poisoned one day, then cured the next, how would you react to the news if you were an Alagaësian?"_

"_Err… presume it was magic?" _Our left head said. "_I do get the point though. We are _nowhere _near ready to tell people about Locostral."_

"Yo cuz, remember that some people here don't pick up on your internal conversations? Namely me?" Amara said.

"_Sorry Amara, just brainstorming." _Sparta said. "_Shall we go over the general plan?"_

"Yes please."

"_Step one," _Kevin said, "_disgorge Eldunarí. Leave it with you so we can remain in contact."_

"_Step two," _Drsicol added, "_take Arya to Locostral and leave her in our room along with our other Eldunarí and everything else apart from our key to get rid of unnecessary weight. Grow to our maximum size and fly to the Varden."_

"_Step three," _Sparta finished, "_arrive with Arya. Get her cured, then replenish energy for the battle against the urgals. We won't be flying back to you, but we'll be there when you arrive. Stay in your human form until you reach the Varden too. If you don't, you might make some unforeseen complications. Got all that?"_

Amara nodded. "I'm a little worried that you won't be flying back to us, but I get your logic. If there's a battle coming, you'll need to be at full strength to zap everything. And I don't even know how to get back into my dragon form, so don't worry."

"_We'll work on that later." _Driscol said. "_Now, shall we make our goodbyes?"_

Amara nodded, and we walked back towards the others.

* * *

The skies were dark by the time we were finally ready. We'd already dropped off Arya in Locostral along with our two other Eldunarí, as well as Islingr's one and our gear. Not many people had noticed us come... home, but we did spot Spanners looking at the two glowing, golden orbs in our mouths, and we could practically see the gears turning in her head. We returned to Mount Bluepeak after that, quickly explained to Gem 'what the fuck we were doing', then dropped everything apart from our key. That done, we came back to Alagaësia and prepared to take off under the cover of darkness and grow to our full size.

Our companions hadn't exactly been happy with what we were doing, but they understood, and it allowed them to not have to rush as much, although we strongly advised them to keep on riding as hard as possible. Obviously, we couldn't say that the Varden was under imminent attack, but we bullshitted some excuse about the Empire being hot on their heels. Which was true, but it kinda felt like a lie when we said it. We all knew that lying was necessary to make sure our knowledge of the future would be kept secret, but we wished we didn't have to. At some point, we were going to lie ourselves into a corner, and the Ancient Language wouldn't even let us do that. We'd have to master the elves' technique of manipulating the truth, or saying one thing but meaning another, or whatever they did.

Saphira had been particularly against us leaving, although she eventually conceded to our logic, and the need to save Arya.

"_Just… stay safe." _She said before we parted ways.

"_Us?" _Sparta said. "_We can regenerate, and we just have to fly in a straight line. We're more concerned about you guys."_

"_Make sure they stay out of trouble, okay?" _Driscol added.

"_And please look after Amara for us." _Kevin finished. "_With us being exiled, she's the only family we have left."_

Well, we'd adopted Gem as our big sister, but Amara was our relative by blood.

"_I shall." _Saphira promised. "_Though I shall miss you three."_

"_It's only a couple of days." _Driscol pointed out. "_We'll reunite soon enough."_

The blue dragoness nodded. "_Very well. I shall look forward to seeing you again."_

We nodded, preparing to find somewhere more discrete to take off from. "_See you later, alligator."_

"_Wait, what?"_

We chuckled and started loping away, quickly disappearing between the trees. "_Ask Amara!"_

Then, when we were far enough away, we spread our wings and beath them hard, sending us shooting into the sky. As we gained altitude, we grew to our maximum size. Our whole body became larger, but flying became so much easier, despite the extra weight we'd gained. Our wing muscles had become stronger, and we easily surged up through the sky.

The Beor Mountains were in a south-eastern direction from Gil'ead, so we aimed ourselves in that vague direction and flew, always making sure that the city was directly behind us. According to the map, if we followed the Ramr River towards Bullridge, then flew in that direction, we should eventually hit the Beartooth River. Then we could follow that to the lake Kóstha-watsit to Farthen Dúr. Piece of cake.

Still, we couldn't just sit tight. We had a lot of ground to cover, and not much time. However, King Ghidorah had flown from Antarctica to Boston in about a day if we remembered right, so we would probably be in for a fairly brief flight under the light of the moon.

"_Perhaps we could go there one day." _Kevin said.

"_Err… I think that'd need us to have a much better understanding of orbital mechanics to actually get there." _Sparta pointed out.

Driscol laughed. "_Still, one small step for a dragon. One giant flight for dragonkind."_

The three of us chuckled as we flew on, into the night. If Eragon and Murtagh could do this on horseback in eight days, we'd be damned if we couldn't make it in a limit of five.

* * *

**Snapshot #7:**

"Okay Gem, why are we here?" Darius asked as he, Regal, Rosa, Gem, and the three of us stood outside Locostral's hospital.

"Well." Gem began. "If you haven't noticed, you're all beasts now."

"_Duh." _Kevin said. "_But what does that have to do with the hospital?"_

"Well, since Plainswalkers can still die from illnesses," our Clan Leader explained, "you five need to get… shots."

Darius and Rosa both groaned, Regal's eyes went wide, and we instantly tried to bolt. We _hated _vaccinations with a passion, purely because of the concept of a needle stabbing into us. Granted, we probably wouldn't even be able to feel it now, but we still remembered vaccinations when we were human. Nasty things.

We said that we 'tried' to bolt, as Gem quickly grabbed hold of one of our tails as we attempted to run. "Agh! Cade, what have you been eating?! Darius, Rosa, help me out here!"

"_No!" _The three of us screamed as we were dragged into the hospital by three dragons that were all as big and strong as us in our current size. "_No! Not the needles! Noooooooo!"_


	28. Chapter 28- Are we there yet?

**Author's note: SURPRISE UPDATE! :D I did the maths, and Cade's a speedy boi at full size. The distance as the dragon flies from Gil'ead to Farthen Dûr is about 390 miles. Monsterverse King Ghidorah can hit 550 knots, which is about 60m/s under the speed of sound, and is equivalent to **_**633mph**_**. So the journey time is **_**40 minutes. **_**I can't get over this. It takes Cade less time to travel over most of Alagaësia than it takes me to get to school on the bus! I'm using dragons as my transport now.**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:**

**Daniel Clausen: Yeah, I try to keep the canon characters… in character.  
****ShortyMcCoy: Sorry about that, but it gets important pretty quick. You won't be able to skip it.  
****Blaze1992: Yes, but the movie SUCKED.  
****B.A: You're never late in commenting. I will always come back to read new reviews. Even when I start to write the sequel to Trial, I'll come back to this and see if there's new comments. How did I come up with the idea? Well, the whole 'multiverse' idea stemmed from someone's comment, and I ran with it, writing a lot of lore that explains it. As for having an OC become a dragon, I just read some other people's work and thought that I could have a good crack at it. Thanks for your compliments! I do try to structure my stuff in a way that makes sense, and I tried to make the multiverse stuff as encompassing as I could to fit in with as many universes as possible. And I have a LOT of stuff planned for the Riftiverse, don't worry.  
****W1LL14M: Thanks, and wish granted! Easter holidays are handy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

**Beta read by Regal Eagle and Slack Frost**

* * *

**Chapter 28: Are we there yet? Actually… yes.**

We'd _drastically _overestimated how fast we could get to Farthen Dûr. _Drastically_. In the books, it took Eragon and Murtagh eight days to reach the mountain from Gil'ead. For us? _Forty minutes. _Yeah, you heard that right. _Forty minutes. _We checked. Either Alagaësia wasn't as big as we thought it was, or we were really fast at full size.

We guessed that we had been flying around half the height of a commercial airliner, so about five kilometers up, so we couldn't estimate very well how fast we were going. We were completely shocked when the Beor Mountains came into view, about thirty minutes into our flight, and as tall as the Himalayas back on Earth.

When we were almost to our destination, we shrunk down to our preferred size and landed in the thick forests that carpeted the surrounding valleys to be able to rift back to Locostral without anyone watching. If we suddenly turned up on the Varden's doorstep without Arya, then somehow had her with us later, that would raise a lot of questions.

After diving through the Rift and being bathed in the usual kaleidoscope of orange light, we emerged into the city that we now called home. Surprisingly, it had started snowing in the time since we'd left Arya here, flakes sizzling on the liquid rift as trails of gas swirled off it.

"_This is… different." _Sparta said as we started walking towards Mount Bluepeak.

"_But nice." _Kevin said, licking snowflakes off his nose.

"_Perhaps Locostral just has different seasons than Earth." _Driscol theorised. "_It was nice and sunny when Christmas rolled around, remember?"_

"_Christmas was nice." _Kevin agreed, and we crunched through the snow, our large feet leaving strange footprints in our wake.

* * *

Stepping out of the cargo lift, we shook snow off our feet before we took a look around the room. Given that it was the middle of the night, the lights were on their dimmest setting, everybody was asleep, and various muffled snores came from behind the doors to everyone's rooms. As we climbed up the circular ramp to our room, we felt gentle rumbles from behind Gem's door, some kind of strange clapping that we identified as videogame gunfire from Jacob's room, and fairly loud snores from Paddles's place.

All the other rooms were empty. Sal was part of a team that dealt with Middle Earth, so she was there all the time except for Gatherings. Regal apparently had a place in his realm to… roost? Probably roost. Amara obviously did the same thing we did. As for Rosa and Darius… a quick scan from our minds showed that they were out.

Pushing the door to our room open, we checked on Arya. She was still breathing, which we regarded as a win. So… what now?

"_Do we take her now, or wait for tomorrow?" _Sparta asked.

"_Now." _Driscol said.

"_But our soft bed!" _Kevin complained.

"_Kevin, this is life and death." _Driscol said. "_We save Arya, then we sleep."_

"_On a hard floor!"_

"_Kevin, just grab some blankets or something." _Sparta groaned as we gently picked up Arya.

Our left head was about to protest before he saw Sparta's logic. We packed our things into a large bag; armour, Islingr, entertainment, blankets, and threw the load over our back. Then we gently picked up the sleeping Arya and secured her on our back as best we could. We'd have to be careful not to knock her off or lose her. Still, we were now _way _ahead of schedule, so we shouldn't have too many problems.

As we left our room, we felt something in our minds that felt like telepathy, but was much more strained. "_Hey… de, yo... Vard... yet?"_

"_Was that Amara?" _Kevin questioned as we got back in the cargo lift and hit the down button.

Sparta decided to find out. "_Hey Cuz, is that you?"_

The response was choppy, like a radio signal that was dropping in and out of range. "_Yeah… me. This… a bit... bad pho... line. Har… hear you."_

"_Well, we're in Locostral, so we're not really surprised." _Driscol said.

"_Lo...al? Ho… it! You ha… lm to rea… munications! Th… awesome!" _Amara replied. "_But why… ostral?"_

"_We've reached the Varden already." _Kevin said smugly.

There was a short pause before Amara said "_Say… gain? I th… heard wrong."_

"_Just wait five minutes." _Driscol sighed. "_We'll be able to talk clearly then."_

"_Oka… en." _our cousin said as we came up to the departure riftpool.

The snow was still falling, but a lone figure waited in front of the giant circle of orange light. Walking up to the edge, we looked down into it.

"_Do you ever wonder why Rift chose us?" _Kevin asked Driscol and Sparta.

"_Not really." _Sparta chuckled.

"_I don't think it's because of fate or destiny or something like that." _Driscol said. "_I think it's purely because we have some of the qualities that Plainswalkers need. We can think strategically, and outside of the box. We care about other people, and put their safety over ours. We're… at least I think we're still a good person."_

Islingr, who hadn't heard our private chat, asked "_Well, are we going back to Alagaësia or not?"_

Kevin laughed and, making sure that Arya was secure, we entered the Rift.

* * *

Popping back out where we'd left Alagaësia, trails of the Rift clinging to us before dissolving. A quick check told us that Arya was still on our back. It was at times like now when we envied Saphira and Amara for having forelegs that were independent of their wings. We couldn't fly without risking Arya falling off, and carrying her with our feet would make landing awkward, so we were stuck with walking.

Opening a mental channel through the Eldunarí that was still in this realm, we said, "_Okay cuz, we're back."_

"_Cool." _Amara instantly responded. "_So you three are at the Varden _already_!?"_

"_Yeah." _Kevin replied. "_We're having trouble believing that ourselves."_

"_I can imagine, Kev. How long did that take? An hour?"_

"_Well, only forty min-" _Kevin started to reply before realising what Amara said. "_Wait, how did you know it was me? All three of us sound identical."_

"_Not quite." _Amara said. "_It takes a while to be able to distinguish you all, but Kevin has a slightly higher pitched voice than you guys collectively did, Sparta is slightly lower, and Driscol is a bit more… not exactly flat, but you don't express yourself as vocally as the others."_

"_Huh." _Driscol said.

"_Point proven."_ Our cousin replied, and we could almost see her smile.

We trudged through the forest for a while, trees cracking and bending from our passing.

"_Do you think Cade's dead?" _Sparta wondered.

"_How so?" _Driscol asked.

"_Well, none of us are Cade, are we?" _Sparta explained. "_We divided. We all have elements of Cade's personality, but we aren't him. I'm not saying this to get us nostalgic for 'the good old times', or to lament us not being one. We know that us being us is going to be what we live with, and we've accepted that, but I'm just wondering. Have we developed so far that Cade's truly gone?"_

"_That's pretty deep." _Kevin said. "_But I don't think so. I remember being Cade, as do both of you. We know each other like the back of our hand. The bond between us is more than that of brothers. We're literally and mentally connected. We have Cade's memories, and we can keep him alive through us."_

"_Guys," _Amara cut in, "_You… you might not be Cade, but I can see him in all three of you. He isn't dead. You aren't dead. The way I see it, Cade is… absent, but you three are looking after everything for him. But you're still my cousins, and that's what matters."_

We kinda felt uncomfortable at that. We knew we weren't Cade, and we all had elements of his personality, but to just be… caretakers seemed wrong. But if that's what we were, that's what we were. There was no point getting mad about it. As we'd learned, envy and greed led to the dark side.

Islingr decided to add her two cents. "_You three carry Cade's flame- his soul. You are him, and if you ever do become him again, he'll be you. Don't worry about what happens in between now and then. You'll all recognise each other as the same person."_

We trudged on for a while before Driscol said "_What would Cade think if he looks back on our time in charge?"_

Sparta laughed long and hard. "_He'd think we're morons!"_

Driscol smiled. "_Yeah. I guess he would. But we're doing our job, and we're doing it well."_

Kevin's bottom jaw quivered. "_If… if we ever do become Cade again… what'd happen to us? I… I want to be whole again. I feel something's missing from me. But… I don't want to go… I don't want to die again..."_

Driscol looked at the ground as we continued to plod along. "_I wouldn't say that we'd die. We'd just be one, not three. After all, haven't we just established that Cade isn't dead? If he isn't dead while we're around, we won't be dead when he's around. If we become one again, that is."_

"_I guess that makes sense." _Kevin said. "_But I'm still not fully convinced."_

"_Don't worry about it." _Sparta said reassuringly. "_Currently, we have no way to go back to just being Cade and, as Islingr said, let's not worry about what happens between now and then. If we become Cade again, great! We'll be how we're supposed to be. But if we remain like this, no big deal."_

"_So you're saying to not sweat the small stuff?" _Kevin asked.

"_Pretty much." _Sparta replied.

"_I can live with that philosophy." _Kevin nodded. "_Thanks Sparta."_

"_No biggie."_

By now, we'd emerged out of the forest, and were standing on a beach of pebbles, a little to the left of the mouth of some river. There was a deep lake in front of us, although it wasn't as big as some others we'd seen. At the far end, a waterfall pounded into the lake, moonlight glistening over it all.

"_Well this is scenic." _Kevin commented.

Contacting Amara, Driscol said "_Cuz, we're about to enter Farthen Dûr. We're going to break contact until we reach a point when we're alone."_

"_Understood." _Amara said. "_Stay safe, okay?"_

"_You too." _Sparta replied. "_Over and out."_

With that, we severed the link to our cousin, walked round to where the gate was supposed to be, and tried to remember Arya's instructions. Scanning the shoreline, we picked up a boulder the size of a Smart Car and bonked it against the cliff wall as we mentally shouted the password.

Nothing happened.

"_Well that… sucks." _Sparta said as the waterfall thundered next to us. "_What now?"_

There was a sudden cracking noise that made us jump in surprise, and two thick doors of solid rock opened out of the cliff, Moria style. Well, it was more like how the door to the Vault of Souls worked, as there were no glowing runes over it, but at least it had opened for us.

We glanced uneasily into the mouth of a tunnel, its walls lined with flameless lamps that glowed like pilot lights. Inside was a group of armoured soldiers, both humans and dwarves, all of them gripping spears and aiming them at us, ready to throw.

A tall, bald man strode out of the group, dressed in purple and gold robes. One of the Twins. One of the traitors. Unfortunately, we couldn't unmask them, as that would prevent Murtagh from being captured and sent to Galbatorix, but that didn't mean we had to be nice with them.

"Dragon, why are you here?" He barked, getting straight to the point.

"_Right." _Driscol growled as we all scowled down at him, Kevin and Sparta entering the pool of light from the lamps. "_Before we go any further, we have a passenger who needs urgent medical treatment. She's been poisoned with Skilna Bragh while in captivity in Gil'ead. She needs Túvinor's Nectar to counteract it. And if you say no, we will smash you into a pulp and go get her cured ourselves. Clear?"_

The Twin's eyes narrowed, but he nodded and remained outwardly respectful. Smart move. Kevin snaked towards Arya, and managed to roll her so she was lying over his snout. Gently, he lowered her towards the group of soldiers, stopping with his chin on the floor about a meter from them.

They just stood still until the Twin snapped, "Well? Remove her from the dragon." Two men gingerly came forward, their eyes not leaving Kevin's as the Twin said "Quickly, quickly!"

To their credit, they didn't hesitate much after that, although it was a little awkward to get Arya off Kevin's nose, given our size.

One of the men examined our passenger's face and said, "It's the dragon-egg courier, Arya!"

"What?" The Twin said in shock before turning to us. "You have some explaining to do, Dragon."

Sparta decided to speed things up. "_She's been poisoned goddammit! We've told you that already, now take her to the healers!"_

The Twin's lip twitched, partly in fear, partly in anger that we were overruling his authority, but he eventually took action. "Very well. You two, take her to the healers and tell them what she needs. Guard her until the ceremony is completed. You will return to your usual duties after that."

The two guys holding Arya nodded and carried her off, down the tunnel.

Then the twin spun to face us. "Now your... demand has been fulfilled, I ask again. Why have you come to the Varden?"

Driscol took the lead. "_That's information above your paygrade. All you need to know is that we're on the side of the Varden. Now, take us to your leader. Or leaders."_

As fun as winding the Twin up was, we weren't being so difficult without good reason. The Twins were spies. The less information they came to possess, the better. Therefore, we would only talk with Ajihad and Hrothgar about why we were here.

The Twin smirked savagely. "No-one may enter Farthen Dûr without being mentally tested, not even you."

We burst into laughter, making some of the guards glance at each other nervously.

"_Wanna bet?" _Kevin chuckled as we stepped over him and started walking down the tunnel. "_We're bigger than you. We're more powerful than you. We're also nicer than you, which is why you aren't dust on the floor right now. What can you do to stop us?"_

We felt a mental probe impact our mental shields with a 'plink'. Of course he'd try brute force. We didn't even stop walking as we completely obliterated his attack, rushed through the link to his head, took control of his arm, and started making him hit himself in the face.

"_Sorry," _Sparta said, "_but we're busy. Can we ignore you some other time?"_

The guards overcame their shock, then all but one of them jogged or ran down the corridor to form up around us. The one that remained did his best to help the Twin subdue his rogue arm.

We walked in silence for a few minutes before someone started chuckling. "It's about time one of them was put in their place. Trying to mentally probe a dragon… that's a death wish."

There were a few laughs from the humans, but most of the dwarves remained silent. Evidently, they weren't too pleased with our arrival.

"_You three handled that like a dragon." _Islingr complimented us. "_Very well done, Cade-finiarel."_

"_Wait, does this mean we've graduated from 'fledgeling'?" _Driscol asked as we finally let go of our hold on the Twin.

"_It does." _Islingr said with pride. "_We'll make a dragon out of you three yet."_

Kevin chuckled, making some of the guards glance at us hesitantly as we walked on. We kept on walking for quite a while- well over an hour.

"_So what do we do now?" _Kevin wondered aloud.

"Well… er…" One of the guards said, keeping respect in his voice. "You have requested to meet with the leaders of the Varden, Great Dragon, and we shall take you to them. Runners have been sent ahead to both Hrothgar, King of the Dwarves, and Ajihad, the leader of the Varden. They will be alerted of your presence in Farthen Dûr, and both will wish to meet you. Although… rumors spread quickly here, so there may be a crowd waiting to see your golden majesty as you arrive."

"_Dude, drop the flattery." _Sparta said. "_It just slows everything down. We haven't done anything to deserve your respect. Judge us for what we do, not what we are."_

"You dealt with one of those bald bastards." Someone muttered, resulting in a general sense of agreement.

"Are you the Golden Guardian?" Another man asked. "The one who saved a family from hordes of Urgals? The one who freed the slaves from Dras Leona? The one called Ghidorah?"

"_Yes, we are." _We said proudly, sending whispers through our entire escort as we reached a set of giant, black doors, with lines of silver covering them.

"Golden Guardian, we are about to enter Farthen Dûr." One of the dwarves said as three people lined themselves up on each door and got ready to push them open. "Look well upon its wonders, as it is home to our greatest achievement: Tronjheim, the city-mountain built from the purest marble, the capital of our race."

The doors started to open, and a few faint sunbeams of dawn poked into the tunnel through the gap. We saw hints of a massive crowd waiting, and one of our hands slid into our bag, pulled out our boom box, and turned up the volume to maximum. As the doors opened, we hit play, stepped out into the light, and gave a loud roar of happiness as 'Born in the U.S.A.' started playing.

The crowd cheered. Sunlight reflected off our scales. We shone with the light of the dawn, promising hope, triumph, and victory. The Varden would rise, and Galbatorix would fall.

* * *

**Snapshot 8:**

It was a calm day in Locostral. We were out in one of the parks with Sal and Paddles, bathing in the warm rays of the sun with our eyes closed, and doing absolutely nothing else.

"This is nice." Sal sighed. "No orcs, goblins or evil rings to worry about."

"Yeah." Paddles said. "No pirates, no krakens, and no living skeletons."

"_No magicians, no mad kings, and no urgals." _Kevin finished before sighing.

We took in the scents of the fresh air and the smell of the grass, trying to snuggle into the warm ground. This was the life.

Then our peace was shattered as the sound of a powerful engine roared through the morning, tires squealing in the distance. Sirens soon followed.

"What the heck do you think that's about?" Paddles said as we cracked open our eyes and raised our heads, trying to see what was going on.

A bright green sports car suddenly drifted onto one of the roads bordering the park, smoke streaming from its tyres. Then it accelerated savagely, eurobeat pumping out of it's stereo as the driver whooped.

"YEE-HAA! I'VE STILL GOT IT!" A familiar voice yelled as a large robot ran around the corner after the green car, transformed into a police cruiser, and raced after it, siren howling.

The green car drifted around another corner and vanished from sight in a cloud of smoke as the transformer tailing it cursed and did the same.

As the sounds of engines roared away, Sal turned to us. "Is it just me, or did that sound like Jacob?"

We started grinning, remembering what Jacob had been before he died. A street racer.

"_It's him." _Driscol smiled. "_And he'd better have dashcam footage."_


	29. Chapter 29- We talk to a Dude

**In response to reviews:  
Daniel Clausen: Yep. I personally hate the Twins, so expect some insults to fly. And yep, the Varden dealing with Cade… the dwarves aren't dragon fans, but they'd tolerate him.  
****Wizzer96, dragonauthor: Glad you two liked the snapshot!  
****Blaze1992: I'm not gonna rant about the movie, because I'd be here all day, but I HATE it. Completely and utterly. If a director who was a fan of the series was in charge, I reckon it could have done really well.  
****HalflingHobbit: Yup, I hate the Twins.  
****Guest: Thanks!  
Man4God: You're welcome! Yes, I have online lessons, but I'm in my Easter holiday now, so I'm gonna have more time to write anyway.  
****MoosHeadFamLit: I got two minutes in. Then I remembered it was the movie. And I had to stop because of cringe.  
****B.A: Depends what it's on. If it's your own Plainswalker, I don't have much of a problem, but you need to have access to the Lore document. If it's a spin-off of Trial with Cade in it, we'll need to talk further.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

**Beta read by Regal Eagle, Slack Frost and Wizz (Because they all wanted to read it early.)**

* * *

**Chapter 29: We talk to a Dude.**

Our music definitely unnerved some people, but the song was relatively tame compared to what else we had in our playlist. Still, lots of people kept cheering as we walked down a wide, cobblestone path, occasionally letting a flicker of electricity pass over our scales, which prompted a lot of gasps.

Not everyone was thrilled with our presence here, though. Dwarves massively outnumbered humans, and we received a lot of glares from them, due to the Forsworn attacking them a lot in the fall of the Riders. The humans were much more friendly, however. They were hard people, ready for battle, but they were definitely more thrilled about having us on their side than the dwarves were.

The best way to describe Farthen Dûr was a hollowed-out volcano. The path we were walking on sloped down into a crater, where Minas Tirith- we mean Tronjheim lay. It was pretty awesome, and though the size of the cavern made it look small, was pretty much what would happen if you built a city complex inside a mountain. Like… if Bluepeak was completely filled with apartments and stuff, but with the time wound back to the middle ages.

There was a hole at the very top of the massive cavity we were in, so high that Saphira and Amara would have passed out from a lack of oxygen if they tried to reach it. Not us, though. Sunlight fell through the hole in a focused beam, bathing Tronjheim in a soft glow, but leaving the edges of the cavern untouched. The far side of the crater must have been a few miles away, at least. If it wasn't for our improved draconic vision, we probably wouldn't have been able to see the patches of moss and lichen all over it. Massive stalactites the size of rocket boosters clung to the ceiling, which must have been a real safety hazard if they came loose.

"_Do you think we can use them in the upcoming battle?" _Sparta wondered. "_Blast them loose and drop them on the urgals?"_

"_If the rest of the Varden was far back enough." _Driscol said. "_We wouldn't want to kill our own."_

The cheering continued as we neared the mountain-like city, the crowd following behind us. The white marble of the city looked like it had been melted and poured into position, which might have been possible with the use of a little magic. There were a lot of circular windows in the wall, elaborate carvings and engravings surrounding them with lamplight flickering behind them.

We approached a gate flanked by two gold griffins, one of which had a head that bore a striking resemblance to Regal. The gate rumbled open as we got closer, granting us access to a passage leading into the center of Tronjheim. More people cheered, and our music pounded away as we padded down the pathway.

Eventually, we came to a large intersection that divided the city into quarters from four main hallways. There were arches all over the room, leading into various ascending and descending stairwells. Looking up, we saw the massive Star Sapphire, carved into the shape of a flower. We didn't think much of it, but each to their own, we guess. Anyway, lanterns surrounded it, and reflected light casted a ruby glow over the room.

Not entirely sure which way we should go, we just followed our escorts down the right-hand hallway. After a few hundred meters, we turned into a smaller corridor that was just big enough for us to remain at our current size. After a few sharp turns, we came to a large, stained cedar door.

One of our escorts pulled it open, and gestured for us to go in. We eyed the gap warily. We wouldn't fit through that. So, we stood vertically, cracked our knuckles, and shrank down to human size. Our escorts gasped in shock, some of them dropping their weapons as others swore in a combination of English and Dwarfish. Grinning at their stunned faces, we entered the room, rolling our shoulders as best we could to loosen up our tired muscles.

We pulled the door closed behind us with triple smirks and we were left standing alone in an elegant, two-story study. The walls were filled with bookshelves, and there was a smell that reminded us of our old school's library. An iron staircase corkscrewed up to a balcony with two chairs and a coffee table, and white lamps provided the light to read by. A plush, ovoid rug lay beneath our feet, pleasantly soft beneath our tired feet.

However, there was something missing. People. We were alone.

"_It is very early in the morning," _Islingr pointed out, "_and Farthen Dûr is immense. Give them time to summon their leaders. If I remember correctly, Hrothgar was the King of the Dwarves while the Riders fell. As for the leader of the Varden, my brethren who watch the events of Alagaësia informed me that a man named Ajihad is in command. It is likely that Hrothgar will have to quiet the Dwarven clans and manipulate them into allowing you to remain in Tronjheim, so I do not believe that he will meet you today."_

We shrugged and explored the bookshelves, brushing a clawed finger over the spines of the various tomes. Occasionally we pulled a book off the shelf and flicked through a few pages before putting it back on the shelf. Most of them were historical texts, although we eventually found a rather interesting tale about two dragons who had to save their young riders from dying in the Spine after being attacked by Urgals and barely beating them off.

We sat back into one of the armchairs in the room and started reading. The story was actually very good, and we almost missed Ajihad coming in. Memorizing where we'd got up to, we put the book back on the shelf it had come from and appraised the leader of the Varden as he sat down behind his desk.

"Welcome to Tronjheim, Golden Guardian." he said, politely ignoring our weird appearance. "I apologise for my late arrival. I am Ajihad."

"_Hey, no biggie." _Kevin said. "_We were enjoying the book."_

Ajihad raised an eyebrow. "You enjoy reading?"

"_Depends what the book's about." _Driscol explained. "_If it's fantasy, we're interested. Sci-fi is fairly cool too."_

"_Driscol, everything here is fantasy." _Sparta pointed out.

"_Oh yeah…"_

Realising that we hadn't introduced ourselves, we offered Ajihad a clawed hand to shake, which he did. "_Together, we're Ghidorah, although from our left to right, we're Kevin, Driscol and Sparta."_

"It is an honour to meet you." The leader of the Varden said. "Would you prefer it if I use your title, or your name?"

"_Name, please." _We replied.

"Very well." Ajihad said, steepling his fingers. "So, you have come to the Varden, bearing the ambassador of the elves, no less. I believe that there is an interesting story behind that."

"_First," _Sparta interjected, "_we need to tell another story. Have you heard the rumors of a new Rider in Alagaësia?"_

"I have," Ajihad nodded, "and although I did not believe them at first, a letter from an old friend changed that."

"_Right." _Sparta said. "_There's a new Rider, and before you ask, he's not partnered with us. We are our own Rider. So, our story starts in a town far to the north called Carvahall..."_

We summed up our journey with Eragon and Saphira, although we omitted the usual details. Talking about the multiverse was just asking for people to be confused, and it would bring up certain questions that we'd rather not answer. Still, we told him about our abilities, about Amara's skill set, and about Murtagh, which he didn't seem too happy about, even though we swore that he had been nothing but helpful. By the time we were done, we had Ajihad's undivided attention.

There were a few minutes of silence before he spoke. "Brom's death is a terrible loss. He was both a close friend of mine, and a powerful ally of the Varden. He saved us from destruction many times, a prospect we often faced because of our own internal factions."

"_He was a good man." _We said as one.

Ajihad nodded. "He was. And now, his final service was to bring us a Rider. I would send out a group of men to bring Eragon, Saphira and your cousin here, although it would most likely be fruitless. The Hadarac Desert is vast, and it would be easy for the two groups to miss each other."

"_Don't worry, they're coming." _Driscol assured him. "_And we know exactly where they are. We can get to them within half an hour if we push ourselves."_

"I have no doubt of that," Ajihad said, "although I still do not like that they are on their own. It is also deeply troubling that the Urgals are aligning themselves with the Empire. If Galbatorix is gathering an Urgal army to destroy us, the Varden will be hard pressed to survive, even though many of us are protected here in Farthen Dûr."

We snorted. "_If we go full size, we can easily wipe the floor with them."_

Ajihad smiled. "Indeed. However, the fact that Galbatorix would consider a pact with such monsters is indeed proof of madness."

"_Didn't Urgals kill his first dragon?" _Kevin asked.

"They did. However, the Black King is not one to forgive and forget. I believe that he will simply use them as-"

"_Cannon fodder." _Sparta said. At Ajihad's confused glance, our right head elaborated. "_He'll send them in to soften us up- to weaken us, not caring how many of them die in the process. Then he can march his human armies in to either finish the job and eradicate us if we beat off the Urgals, or kill them off if they succeed and kill us all. Which they won't."_

"I wish I could have your confidence." Ajihad sighed. "There is still the matter of the Shade. Can you describe him?"

"_Tall, thin, pale." _Driscol said as we suppressed a growl. "_Red eyes, crimson hair, dressed all in black. His sword had a long scratch on the blade, and we're going to kill him for what he did to our cousin."_

"His name is Durza." Ajihad said. "One of the most vicious and cunning fiends to ever stalk this land. He is completely loyal to Galbatorix and a dangerous enemy for us. However, we have both dueled him, and we have both survived- because of luck in my own case, but because of skill in yours."

Kevin chuckled. "_Ripping off his arms and kicking him off the roof was fun. But he's not dead. We should have gone… for the heart."_

"_Did you seriously repurpose a Thanos quote?" _Sparta asked.

"_Yes I did." _Kevin said proudly.

"_Unbelievable."_

Bringing the conversation back on track, Ajihad said "One of the Twins... informed me that you refused to have your mind probed, and when the one at the hidden door tried to break into your mind, you overwhelmed him and took control of his arm, making him repeatedly slap himself in the face."

All three of us smirked. "_He's an asshole, and we don't like him. If anyone tries to break into our brains, we'll fight them off. We have secrets that we'll only reveal when we feel ready to, although if you're worried that we work for Galbatorix, then we can swear an oath in the Ancient Language that we don't serve him in any way, shape or form. And we can also swear that none of our charges- even Murtagh- serve him either."_

"That won't be necessary." Ajihad sighed. "I believe you, and as unhappy as I am with Murtagh arriving here, if you vouch for him, he will be accepted. Who better than a dragon to decide if the son of a dragon-killer is worthy of redemption from his father's name?"

"_We judge people by their own actions." _We said firmly. "_We don't care if their parents are some rich nobles or the poorest peasants. You can't help who your family is. It's how people act that gives a judge of their character."_

Ajihad's eyebrows rose. "That is not an opinion I expected a dragon to have."

"_We're not a normal dragon." _We smiled.

"That much is clear." the leader of the Varden chuckled. There was a few minutes of silence before he said "The Varden owes you much. Since Arya disappeared six months ago while ferrying Saphira's egg to us, the elves have cut their contact with us. Queen Islanzadi was particularly enraged and cut off all communication with us. Thanks to your rescue of Arya, that contact will be restored."

Sparta snarled. "_You both want the same thing, and she cut off contact because a Shade attacked the protectors of the egg? How dumb is she?! That wasn't even the Varden's fault! Sure, the elves are physically superior to humans and dwarves, but you still need to stay together! Wars aren't won alone. As a famous person from where we come from said, 'a house divided against itself cannot stand'."_

Ajihad laughed. "I had a very similar reaction when I received the news. However, Islanzadi's anger will quickly abate once she learns that Arya has been rescued."

"_So what do we do now?" _Driscol asked. "_We told the others that we'd wait for them in Farthen Dûr, but do you have plans for us, or can we just do whatever?"_

"I believe that Hrothgar will wish to meet you tomorrow." Ajihad replied. "Apart from that, you may, as you say, 'do whatever' until your companions arrive. Then, I presume that you will resume your duty protecting Eragon and Saphira. However, you must know that everything you do will influence the people's opinions of you. The dwarves have no love for dragons, I'm afraid, so you will have to build up your reputation with them. The humans of the Varden will be much more interested in you, however. You must be careful with what you say and do, although as you are a dragon, you will have a lot of leniency in that department. Nobody can order a dragon to do what they want. Not even a Rider."

"_Although the King or Queen of the dragons and the Alpha could." _Islingr pointed out to us.

"_Good." _Sparta said in response to Ajihad. "_Our job is to look after Eragon and Saphira. If that means pissing off a lot of people to keep the duo from being influenced, we'll do it. We'll gladly fight against Galbatorix, party hard when there's a celebration, and offer our services to the Varden, but we reserve the right to remain free from being ordered around. _

_We want to make this very clear, right here, right now. We are your ally, not your attack dog. If we're going to get into a battle, then we'd like to be involved in planning it so we can use our abilities to their greatest potential. While the battle is going on, we'll fight, and we'll fight our way. If that comes across as rude, that's not the intention. We're just cutting out all the bullshit and beating around the bush that's involved in trying to get what we want."_

"Your cutting straight to the point is very refreshing." Ajihad smiled. "When the Varden's council try to manipulate me into getting what they want, we often sit here for half an hour before they finally stop the flattery and the verbal traps and outline what they want."

We chuckled. It seemed that political shit was multiversal, except for Locostral, which seemed to have stuff figured out.

"Of course, your position definitely gives you the power to ask that, and I have no objections." Ajihad went on to say. "We are on the same side, after all. Your request is granted."

"_Thanks." _Kevin said. "_But if the council is just full of power-hungry idiots, just put mature people in charge who understand the responsibility they're shouldering."_

"I wish I could." Ajihad said. "However, despite most of them being power-hungry, they are good at their jobs."

We snorted. "_Still, if they try to manipulate us, permission to pin them to the nearest wall and growl menacingly?"_

"Granted."

Sparta laughed. "_We have a feeling we're gonna get on well."_

"I hope we will." Ajihad smiled. "It has indeed been a privilege to meet you three."

"_Likewise." _We said truthfully.

"If there is anything you need during your time here, do not hesitate to ask."

We nodded and started to turn towards the door before Driscol turned back and asked "_Could we have a guide assigned to us from tomorrow? Or maybe some kind of map? We have literally no idea where anything is."_

"Of course." Ajihad replied. "Although the dragonhold is at the very top of Tronjheim, with Isidar Mithrim- the Star Rose- as its floor."

"_Will it be able to hold us at our preferred size?" _Kevin wondered aloud. "_You haven't seen our maximum size, but I think we hit around 150,000 tons in weight."_

"_Weight doesn't scale directly with size, remember." _Driscol said. "_I reckon that it'd easily be able to hold us at our usual size. After all, there were dragons who got that big before the Fall, and they would have stood on it. If it didn't break for them, it won't break for us."_

Kevin nodded, and we were about to leave when Sparta said to Ajihad "_If you can't find us at certain moments, don't worry about it. We like to be here and there."_

The leader of the Varden nodded, and we left his study, growing to our regular bulk when we had the space to do so.

"_That went well." _Kevin said happily as we tried

"_Yeah, much better than I was expecting." _Sparta agreed. "_He didn't question us coming from a land across the sea, though. I think he's suspicious about us, but didn't say it."_

"_What, in a 'keep your friends close, but your enemies closer' way?" _Driscol asked.

"_We offered to swear out allegiance in the ancient language though." _Kevin pointed out. "_That would have been the perfect time for him to gain power over us. I think he's simply relieved to have us as an ally."_

"_He probably is." _Driscol said, before asking, "_Who's up for generating a storm and getting ourselves struck by lightning for a power boost? I'm ****ing tired."_

"_I just want to sleep._" Kevin said. "_I don't care that we could power ourself up. I want to curl up in a blanket and snooze."_

"_Hear, hear." _Sparta groaned as something in our back popped. "_We sleep for a few hours, then do whatever we want."_

"_Okay, then that's what we'll do." _Driscol said as we emerged into a space where we could take off.

Beating our wings, we launched into the sky and quickly gained altitude, circling up and around Tronjheim to the dragonhold.

"_I definitely underestimated your competence, Cade-finarel." _Islingr said. "_You are most competent with the political machinations of the Varden and its allies."_

We took the compliment in silence, although Kevin asked "_Ebrithil, do you know how the rest of that story from the book we were reading goes? I want to carry on reading it."_

"_Funny you should ask." _Islingr said. "_That book was based on a real-life event, and I happened to be one of those dragons who had lost their Riders in the Spine."_

"_Really?!" _We asked in shock.

"_Yes really, fledgeling." _Islingr said, reverting to her older name for us in annoyance. "_It was after that event that I disgorged my Eldunarí for Visseren, my Rider. I never wanted for us to be apart again after that event, and he shared the sentiment. Granted, I was still young at the time, and I should have not disgorged my heart of hearts until later in my life, but I would not be dissuaded. We remained together, sometimes from afar, until he passed on. I still grieve for him, although I know my duty. There is a new generation of Riders beginning with Eragon, and it is my task to help him, and you by extension, given your oath to us."_

"_And we will uphold it." _We assured her. "_As well as defending this realm from Shadows."_

"_Of course."_

* * *

**Snapshot #9:**

Jacob, Darius, and the three of us were crowded around a small screen, watching the video we'd shot together and uploaded to Locostral's YouTube.

"I never expected it to get this popular." Darius murmured. "Look at the views! Practically everyone in Locostral has watched it!"

We and Jacob grinned at each other. "_Are you thinking what we're thinking?"_

"More videos?"

"_Yep."_

"Give me a few weeks to think them up. I'll call you when the time's right."

"_Awesome." _

"_This is gonna be great!"_

"_I'm hungry, can we get ice cream?"_


	30. Chapter 30: We talk to another Dude

**Author's note: Third chapter in 5 days… My brain hurts. I'm having a break tomorrow, And I know that I said that I'd go back and edit after this, but we're pretty close to the end of the fic, so I'm gonna finish it, then go back and edit things.**

**In response to reviews:**

**Daniel Clausen: Thanks for assuring that I did Ajihad right! I hope I have everyone else in character too. And yeah, we only have 60 or 70 pages left, I think. And thanks!**

**Guest: Err… Okay, I'll take that as a compliment.**

**Halfling Hobbit: "You have been updating lots lately." Yup. I have. Getting drunk is in Eldest, so it will be in Trial's sequel. Don't worry, I have something planned! And yep, Kevin has a sweet tooth.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

**Beta read by Slack Frost and Regal Eagle**

* * *

**Chapter 30: We talk to another Dude**

We yawned as we woke the day after we met Ajihad. The sun wasn't visible, but its light poured into the giant chamber of Farthen Dûr. We hadn't really done much else yesterday, as we just zonked out for most of the day, although we popped back to Locostral for dinner.

"_So, what now?" _Kevin wondered.

"_Well, our guide should meet us today." _Sparta said. "_But I want Skölir on in case we come across the Twins again."_

"_Good plan." _Driscol said, and we started pulling out bits of armour and slotting them on.

* * *

"_Hey, that's my helmet!"_

"_No, this is mine, _that's _yours Kevin! The one that Driscol's got!"_

"_Guys, this is mine. I wrote my name inside it. See, it's there."_

"_Really? Looks like my name."_

"_It isn't, Kevin. See, D-R-I-S-C-O-L."_

"_It says Cade."_

"_Well that's my name, Sparta."_

"_That's OUR name Kevin!"_

"_For the love of fuck. It says Driscol on the other side from Cade. Look!"_

"_Oh yeah. Sorry. So Sparta, you have my helmet!"_

"_For fucks's sake Kevin, this one's mine! See, it fits my horns!"_

"_No it doesn't! There's a massive gap between them!"_

"_Because I don't have it on properly!"_

"_For God's sake! Let me have a look at both of you… Yeah, that's Sparta's. It fits his nose and horns."_

"_Wait, this one's mine?"_

"_Yes, you plonker!"_

"_But it doesn't feel like mine."_

"_It is yours. Let me get a Sharpie and write your name in it so this never happens again. We don't want to piss off Sparta more than necessary. "_

"_No, we don't. I like not being pissed off."_

"_Okay. Sorry Sparta. And Driscol?"_

"_Yeah?"_

"_There's someone watching us."_

"_So there- wait, what?"_

Spinning around, we caught sight of a teenage girl watching us while trying not to crack up. She had long, blonde hair, green eyes, and wore an outfit very similar to Arya's, made to allow movement.

Both Driscol and Sparta glared at Kevin. "_We blame you for this."_

"_Sorry!" _Kevin said.

Looking down at the girl, Driscol asked. "_Are you our guide?"_

Pulling herself together, she curtsied and nodded. "Yes, great dragon. I am Jasmine. I usually run messages between Ajihad, King Hrothgar, and the members of the Varden's council. However, Ajihad has assigned me to make sure that you receive every comfort and amenity that we have to offer."

Well that would explain her outfit. Runners needed to be fast. Still, from the parts of Alagaësia we'd seen, there was the rather questionable 'men are better than women' thing going on. We completely disagreed with that. Cases in point: Saphira, Arya, and Nasuada. Well, we hadn't met Nasuada yet, but they all proved that gender wasn't a barrier. Besides, Locostral didn't operate that way, and with everyone being so different to any kind of normal, we saw everyone we met as equal for what they could and couldn't do. That didn't necessarily mean that we liked them, but everyone should get equal opportunities.

"_That sounds tiring, especially here." _Sparta said. "_Tronjheim is _massive_."_

Jasmine smiled. "It keeps me fit, sir. Besides, riding the pulley system to get up here is rather enjoyable."

"_Please don't call us Sir or any rank that we don't deserve." _Kevin said. "_If we haven't earned it, we don't want it. Our collective name is Ghidorah, but I'm Kevin, grumpy guts over there is Sparta, and the guy in the middle is Driscol."_

"Then it is my pleasure to make your acquaintance, Kevin, Sparta and Driscol."

"_Likewise." _We replied. "_So, what's the plan?"_

"King Hrothgar of the dwarves wishes to meet with you as soon as possible." Jasmine said. "After that, I will show you around Tronjheim, and then we do whatever you want to do."

"_Okay then." _Driscol said. "_Shall we go, guys?"_

"_Sure." _Sparta replied. "_Kevin. Best behaviour."_

"_For God's sake, I'm _you, _Sparta!" _Kevin complained. "_Just because I got our helmets mixed up and like to crack jokes a lot doesn't mean that I'm completely immature!"_

Driscol locked eyes with Jasmine and groaned as Kevin and Sparta started arguing again. "_See what I have to live with? If I cut them off, they just grow back."_

"Really?" Jasmine asked. "That sounds amazing!"

"_Enhanced regeneration is a useful ability." _Driscol agreed as Kevin and Sparta started snapping at each other. "_It's saved us a lot."_

"Oh, from what?"

So Driscol started retelling the epic saga of our encounter with the bleach of death as we followed Jasmine. Sparta and Kevin quickly joined in, with Kevin pantomiming how he had started to melt.

We headed towards an open arch that led into a small room with a hole in the bottom. There was a group of things resembling crane arms hanging over the hole, ropes dangling down from them. There was a wooden platform at the top of one of the pulleys, which was evidently how Jasmine had got up here.

"You'll have to-" our guide said, but we cut her off.

Pointing at a polished start to a chute beside the opening to a stairwell, we asked "_What's that?"_

"Ah. That is Vol Turin, the Endless Staircase." Jasmine explained. "It spirals up around the wall of Tronjheim's central chamber, all the way up here. It's so long that we have to flash lamps to transmit messages from the bottom to up here, as running up it would take too long."

Being an intellectual, Kevin said "_But if the staircase ends here, why is it called the 'Endless Staircase'? That doesn't make sense."_

Jasmine fumbled for an answer, and eventually settled on "It just sounds poetic, I suppose."

We shrugged, and Sparta asked "_But what's the chute for?"_

Of course, we already knew, but feigning ignorance was a good way to get rid of any suspicion people had about us knowing everything.

"Ah. That's a slide that the dwarves constructed alongside the staircase. It was built to allow people at the top of Tronjheim to rapidly get to the bottom. However, it was only intended for the dwarves to us it, and it's exceedingly dangerous for-"

We shrunk down to the size of a human and got in, ignoring Jasmine's startled cry, then her protests.

"_You'd better not screw this up." _Islingr warned as we threw a mat like ones for helter skelters in the trough

"_Don't worry, we'll be fine!" _Sparta said cheerfully to both Jasmine and our mentor, who we'd decided to leave up here until the final battle. "_See you at the bottom!"_

"No, wait!"

We pushed off, hard. The acceleration was _monstrous_, and we whooped in excitement as we went faster and faster. This was very similar to how bobsled worked in the Winter Olympics. Scratch that, this _was _bobsled, only with a mat and stone instead of a sled and ice. This was perhaps one of the most fun things we'd done in Alagaësia, and we _loved _it.

* * *

Half an hour later, and we'd reached the bottom. On our third run. We'd flown back up to the top and went again twice before Jasmine had finally reached the bottom, and we were about to go up again before she gently reminded us why we'd even taken the slide.

Growing back to our regular size, we grumbled a little, but we went along with her. After all, it would have been disrespectful not to. Hrothgar was a king, and we didn't want to piss him off, given that the dwarves seemed to not have a very high opinion of our kind. But we wouldn't hide who we were. Burying our true self under a butt-load of flattery with a coating of lies wouldn't get us anywhere. We'd just be respectful.

We followed Jasmine down one of the descending stairways from Tronjheim's center. It curved around until we were facing the direction we'd come from, and combined with another stairway in front of two doors of granite, with a seven-pointed crown carved into the doors, and a bunch of dwarves guarding it. They were all holding a weapon that was half hammer, half pickaxe, and they banged them on the floor in unison, resulting in a loud bang.

The door swung open, revealing a cave that was way more natural than we were expecting. There were stalagmites and stalactites as thick as our necks, and a few geodes dotted around the room, sparsely hung lanterns illuminating it all.

"A word of advice." Jasmine whispered. "Be polite. His Majesty is wise, but he is also quick to anger if you do not treat him with respect."

We gave her a thumbs up and entered the hall. The doors swung closed behind us, and we began walking towards the throne at the far end. Kevin and Sparta checked out statues of the dwarven kings that preceded Hrothgar, trying to guess how they'd ruled. There were more than forty statues, and space for a lot more.

Hrothgar looked a lot like a statue himself. His face was firm, weathered, and had definitely seen a lot of shit. His eyes were flinty and piercing, like they could stab right through our mental barriers. He wore a gold, gem-adorned helm, and he wore a sheet of chainmail that we had to remind ourselves wasn't mithril. A white beard poured over it like a waterfall, and tucked itself away into his belt.

We took off our helmets and placed them on the floor before bowing our heads in respect. "_Your Majesty."_

There was almost a whole minute of silence before Hrothgar finally spoke. "You already surprise me, Golden Guardian. The dragons of old would never bow before anyone. Not even those bonded to Riders. So why do you?"

"_Because we're different." _Driscol said. "_We come from a land beyond the sea, and we don't have much experience in the customs of Alagaësia. We would also like to apologise for any bullshit the clans are giving you for allowing us to lodging us in Tronjheim."_

Hrothgar actually laughed at that. "It is of no consequence. The benefits of having a dragon on our side- one who can use magic to some degree, no less- well outweigh any strife the clans give me. I know you retold your tale to Ajihad. If you would, retell it once more."

We collected our thoughts, then began. Like usual, we omitted any details about Locostral and the multiverse, keeping everything simple. Hrothgar tensed when he learned that we were looking after a new Rider, and his eyes widened when we came to Amara and her abilities.

When we were finished, his eyes were practically gleaming. "If what you say is true, Galbatorix will have no chance against us. However, I wish to see your armour."

Shrugging, we placed one of our helmets in front of him. It was longer than he was tall, but he got up and analysed the quality of it.

"Who made this?" Hrothgar asked, tapping his war hammer against Sparta's helmet.

"_We did, with help." _Kevin said proudly. "_Skölir is the product of our handiwork, although we were heavily guided in the construction process."_

"_It's also more durable than anything normal metal." _Sparta boasted. "_We don't know how it'd hold up against magically enhanced materials, but it won't be hurt by any conventional means."_

Hrothgar took that as a challenge. Over the next few minutes, he whaled on the helmet with his hammer. To our immense satisfaction, it didn't even get dented, although the paint was heavily scratched. Still, we could always repaint it. No harm done.

Eventually the dwarf king conceded, and asked us what Skölir was made of.

"_I don't think that you have access to depleted uranium." _Driscol said.

At Hrothgar's raised eyebrow, we went on to explain that it was a by-product of generating nuclear power, and that it was still a little radioactive. Then he asked what radioactivity was. We groaned, and told him that it was what the 'poison' in the air on Vroengard was, except much less severe, and we could absorb its effects.

Then he spotted the hilt of Omen, and asked to see it. We groaned internally, but seeing that we weren't going anywhere until this was done, we put our helmets back on, shrank down to human size, and went through the process of extending our blade to full length. Then we passed it to Hrothgar. He ran his eye over the blade.

"This was masterfully forged, and the metal, like that of your armour, is unlike anything I've seen before. This was not forged by any dwarf, man, or elf."

"_Or dragon." _Kevin cheekily added.

Hrothgar chuckled. "Or dragon. It holds great power. What is this sigil in the gem, though? I do not know it."

"_Huh?" _we said, peering at our sword.

Instead of the eye-like ellipse in the red circle in Omen's crossguard, we saw the silhouette of our Plainswalker key, just like on our Eldunarí.

"_That's… the symbol of our... family." _Driscol finally said.

"_Very large family." _Sparta added.

"Then why were you surprised by its appearance." Hrothgar said, his eyes becoming inscrutable.

"_Omen is magical." _Kevin said. "_When it chose us, the symbol there was different, like an eye. We don't know why it looks like it does now. Perhaps it sees us as its wielder, so it changed the symbol. I don't know. I'm clutching at straws."_

"You imply that your weapon is sentient." the dwarf king said flatly.

"_Maybe it is." _Sparta said. "_Maybe it isn't. Despite that, it chose us, and we're going to use it well."_

"Hmm." Hrothgar said. "You have given me much to consider. And much to force through the clans. A new rider, and another dragon! Barzul, they will erupt at this."

We winced. "_Sorry."_

"It is not you who is to blame." Hrothgar said with a sense of finality. "We dwarves do not welcome change. We are a hard, stubborn people, like the rocks we live within and find our living from. When the rock is disturbed, it can all come crashing down. So it is with my race. It is up to me to control that fall, to channel it. You can help shape this landslide, although we have long memories, and words will decide nothing. Your actions will decide how my people treat you and your companions. Do you understand this?"

"_We do, your Majesty." _We said as he passed Omen back to us.

"Good." Hrothgar said. "I thank you for your time, and for your leniency with an old dwarf's curiosity."

We smiled, returning to our usual size. "_And we thank you for all you have to do on our part. Long may you reign Hrothgar, King Under the Mountain."_

* * *

"So how did it go?" Jasmine asked as we left Hrothgar's throne room and climbed the stairs, back into the center of Tronjheim.

"_Rather well, all things considered." _Driscol said. "_He was rather impressed with our gear."_

"It is very intimidating." our small guide said truthfully as she led us through a series of corridors.

If Tronjheim was big on the outside, it was massive from the inside. We saw the barracks, some of the various kitchens and mess halls, and glanced inside a sort of classroom, where an old dwarf was teaching human and dwarf children alike about the history of Alagaësia. We were almost tempted to stay, but in fear that we'd be joining the students if we said the wrong thing, we left them to it.

The library was awesome. It contained both books and scrolls, and were quickly consumed in reading 'The Dominance of Fate', 'Legacy of the Shur'tugal', and 'The Most Ancient Origins of Alagaësia'. Jasmine practically had to drag us out by the tails when lunch rolled around, even though our stomach hungrily growled like a V8 engine.

We hadn't eaten anything since popping back to Locostral yesterday evening and having fish and chips with Sal, as it was one of the few days she had off. So it was no surprise that we completely ripped through the food the dwarven cooks provided for us, barely stopping to taste what we were eating. Still, it was good, whatever it was.

After that, we wanted to go back to the library, but Jasmine insisted that we could go back tomorrow, and that there was more to see. Weapons clanked in the armoury, hammers banged and smashed in the forges, and swords and shields clashed at the training grounds.

As we stepped out onto the field, there was a lull in activity as everyone looked at us. The drill sergeants- or whatever the equivalent was- got them back to work as we watched. Hundreds of men and dwarves were practising their weapon work. Some were drilling in formation, some were practising their archery, and others clashed against each other, blade on blade. They may not have been up to the standards of whatever Locostral had, or even those of America, but this was undeniably an army.

A bearded man walked over to us. He was massive, built like a tank, and would easily have fit in one of the Monster Hunter games. He wore a chainmail coif over his head and shoulders, and a rough leather suit over the rest of his body. A giant sword was sheathed on his broad back, and was easily as long as Jasmine was tall.

He ran a quick eye over us before grabbing Jasmine in a bear hug. "There's my favourite niece!"

Okay, we were surprised by that, but everyone was related to someone, after all.

"Uncle Fredric!" Jasmine protested. "Need! Air!"

From what we remembered, Fredric was one of the men who trained the Varden's warriors to fight, and was going to test Eragon's proficiency in swordplay before the Twins intervened. Speaking of those two leeches, we hadn't seen them, so we guessed that they were plotting away at something. As long as they stayed away from us, we didn't care.

We stayed to watch the fighting for a while before introducing ourselves to Fredric and suggesting that the soldiers might want lessons in fighting a dragon, and volunteered ourselves as a punching bag. He happily accepted, and we took off Skölir to make it a more even fight as he gathered everyone around.

* * *

Our afternoon basically involved getting stabbed a lot. We obviously couldn't fight back at our full potential. The Varden wouldn't appreciate it if we killed a bunch of their soldiers. Still, a few shoves, gentle hits, and flicks were more than enough to counter their efforts, and our wings made good shields from the archers. We weren't just doing this for the Varden's sake, though. We hadn't been in anything close to a full battle, and we needed to learn how to defend ourselves against overwhelming numbers. Granted, it wasn't a very faithful representation of open warfare, but still. Some experience was better than none.

Eventually, Fredric called the day to a close, and we all started to trudge back to Tronjheim's open gates. Suddenly, there was a massively loud _crack_. It echoed around Farthen Dûr, and our heads swiveled around, trying to find the source amidst the confused walls of sound. Then we looked up. One of the massive stalactites had broken free from the ceiling and was falling straight towards us!

We didn't hesitate. All three of us fired our gravity beams as we rapidly grew to full size amidst the horrified cries of the people below us. Brilliantly bright, lightning-like beams of gold shot upwards as alarms resounded from Tronjheim. We were going to need all the power we could get.

We were using our telekinetic beams rather than our destructive ones, as blowing it up would have shattered the rock formation into billions of tiny pieces, spraying Tronjheim with shrapnel. Instead, we caught the missile-like stalactite in mid air, then gently lowered it to the ground until it was lying horizontally on the ground in front of us.

There was a stunned silence. People gaped up at us as we walked around to the end of the stalactite that was previously attached to the roof, the ground shaking with every step we took. We expected it to be all jagged and sharp, but instead, the break was perfectly level, down to the last fragment of rock.

"_This was magic." _Sparta growled to everyone present as people started to pour out of Tronjheim towards us. "_Nothing natural could have made a cut that precise."_

"_But the amount of energy required to do that would be…" _Kevin started.

"_Immense." _Driscol finished as we did the maths. "_You'd need a lot of power to cut through something that thick."_

"_So, someone just tried to kill us, then." _Sparta clarified as everyone gasped. "_This was an assasination attempt."_

"_Yes." _Driscol agreed. "_But we have the culprits. Magicians. Now we just need to deduct who would be likely to do this. And why."_

"_Easy peasy." _Kevin said privately to Driscol and Sparta. "_The Twins. Ol' Galby has crapped his pants in fright after we schooled Durza, so he sicced the Twins on us. We'd better watch out for them in the future."_

"_Obviously it was them." _Sparta replied. "_That still doesn't explain where they got the energy from. You'd have to have far more than two men powering a spell like that. They weren't even here!"_

A sinking feeling came over us as Driscol said "_Is Isidar Mithrim able to hold energy like any other gemstone?"_

"_...We're in it deep, boys."_

* * *

**Snapshot #10:**

In the middle of the night, in the middle of the ocean, Paddles slowly crept onto the back of the creaking hull of the Black Pearl. He clambered up the back of the ship, eventually hooking his claws over the deck railing by the wheel. A skeletal pirate was manning the helm, whistling away into the night as the wingless dragon crept up behind him.

"Look at me."

The skeletal pirate just sighed, and kept to his position.

"Look at me."

"Bill, for the love of-" He finally turned around and stopped short.

"I am the captain now."

An ear-splitting scream cut through the night, along with loud laughter and a massive splash.


	31. Chapter 31- Debating Fate

**Author's note: Woo! 100 favourites! Thanks, guys! Okay, so Eragon, Saphira, Amara and Murtagh are going to arrive next chapter, and then there'll be the battle in the chapter after that. I think. That schedule seems likely to me. And the snapshot with Paddles is a reference to the 'I am the captain now' meme for those who didn't get it. It's probably considered dead by now, but when I'm putting out chapters this fast, it's hard to get a truly funny snapshot in, so I just thought 'oh well' and added it. As for the end of this chapter, I've got a completely scientific explanation for what happened and why for you guys, but it'll be the start of the next (tomorrows?) chapter.**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
****TOGDESTROYER: Thank you very much! That soundtrack will now make an appearance in the battle of Farthen Dûr!  
Daniel Clausen: Yeah, I struggled with Hrothgar a bit. I realise that he wasn't very 'him', but it's hard with some characters. They don't get much… page time? It's not screen time, so page time it is. Hmm, Cade and Nasuada. I haven't thought about how they'd act around each other. I'll figure it out. And no, you aren't spoiling anything. I've read all the books at least three times by now. As for Roran… you probably won't like this, but he probably won't pop up until nearer the end of Eldest. Sorry!  
****HalflingHobbit: Yep, Paddles had a snapshot! The snapshots are basically my way of expanding the Riftiverse in a quick, funny way, and I thought I wasn't giving some of the other Bluepeak Riftwalkers enough love, so they're going to pop up now and then. And Cade can't be you. I based him largely on me. Well, me combined with the person I want to be. And I have missed meals by reading. (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix made me miss both breakfast and lunch. I was 13 at the time and almost collapsed by the time dinner rolled round.) And yes, the Twins suck. However, the Plainswalkers shall have their revenge!  
D8rkforcenligh7: I think you meant the Star Rose, but sure. I just thought it would be a good concept. After all, Saphira says **'_**It's no ordinary gem'**_**. And wow, Paddles is getting a lot of love from you guys!  
Ashkeras: Thank you!  
Blaze1992: Yeah, I think that meme's severely dead by now. Sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the IC.**

**Thanks to Wizz, Regal Eagle and Slack Frost for beta reading. And that ghost that cropped up as a 4th reader in the google doc.**

* * *

**Chapter 31: Debating fate.**

We were given a hero's dinner that night, and we enjoyed it. We'd returned to our regular size, despite everyone wanting to see us at our largest. It was easier on the cooks that way. Ajihad and Hrothgar personally gave us their thanks for saving everyone who had been with us, and we told them that the narrowly averted disaster was caused by magic. They both tensed at that.

"There had always been the possibility that Galbatorix had spies in the Varden." Ajihad said. "I shall have the Twins see if they can root out who is responsible."

"_Really?" _Sparta deadpanned. "_You're going to leave it to two _magicains _to find a _magic user. _What if they were responsible? No, there are only two people in Tronjheim that we trust to root them out, and one of them is healing from being poisoned."_

"And the other?" Hrothgar questioned.

"_She comes from where we come from." _Driscol explained. "_We'll meet with her and ask her to weed out the traitors."_

Of course, we were talking about Angela. However, we weren't going to ask her to take care of the Twins for us. Unfortunately, they had plot armour. Still, we could ask her to make their lives miserable, which was what we were going to do. After all, they'd tried to kill us. A little revenge was called for.

However, our evening was full of rather drunk men and dwarves singing praises to our taken name, and a lot of people coming up to offer their thanks. The longer the night wore on, the more we realised that the Twins' plan had completely backfired. They'd upped our reputation and standing while casting suspicion on themselves and their group of magic users. The dwarves were a lot more accepting of us, a very drunk one even challenging us to a drinking contest.

Of course, we didn't take him up on his offer. He was already very unstable on his feet, and it wouldn't have been fair on him. Anyway, back to the Twins and almost getting assasinated. The only downsides we could see were Galbatorix now knowing about two of our abilities; our size-changing, and our gravity beams. Of course, he'd know of them from the Twins reporting back to him after the battle, so it wasn't too much of a downside, but still. We weren't happy with the way things had gone. This hadn't been in the books, so we hadn't been able to plan for it.

* * *

The next day, we used one of Omen's abilities for the first time. Sight beyond sight. It was basically just enhanced scrying. One of us looked through these holes in Omen's crossguard formed by these curling spikes, and saying what we wanted to see. We could view places we'd never been to, although we got an annoying blue ring around the image, fading into it slightly. Still, it allowed us to see Amara as we were talking to her, even though she couldn't see us.

"_I'm feeling this kind of itch." _She complained, furiously riding on Snowfire as Eragon was flying with Saphira. "_It's all over my back, and scales start to appear on my arms if I don't concentrate on staying in this form. It's like my body wants to revert back to my draconic majesty."_

"_Try and hold it." _Kevin said chuckled. "_If you have to, go off on your own at night, then transform into dragon form for a few hours. Then rejoin the group in the morning."_

"_I'll do that. This thing is driving me crazy!"_

"_How's Murtagh taking things?" _Driscol asked. "_He has to come to the Varden, remember?"_

"_I punched both him and Eragon in the face last night." _Our cousin confessed with a hint of pride. "_Murtagh is really against going to the Varden. Eragon didn't understand what was wrong, and the idiots got into a fight. I decked both of them and Saphira held them down until they settled their differences."_

"_Did you say something like 'Don't worry, Ghidorah will sort everything out'?" _Kevin asked.

"_I did. Murtagh seems to trust you more than anyone else here."_

"_That's weird, but as long as they're headed our way, sure." _Driscol said.

"_Are you being pursued yet?" _Sparta asked.

"_How did you- oh right, that happened in the books. Yes, we are. Urgals are after us. After this is over, remind me never to sleep in a saddle again. Even with armour, my neck hurts. Saphira misses you by the way. A lot."_

"_I imagine she does." _Sparta said. "_We- or at least I can tell that she likes us."_

Amara laughed. "_Oh, you three are so emotionally blind that it's funny."_

"_Huh?"_

Our evil cousin laughed, hard. "_Oh, I'm not telling. This is gonna be funnier if I just let it unfold and survey the chaos."_

We mentally shrugged and changed the topic by saying "_Someone tried to assassinate us yesterday."_

"_...WHAT?!" _Amara roared. "_What happened?! Are you okay?! Who did it?!"_

We relayed what had happened with the stalactite, how we'd saved loads of people, the advantages and disadvantages of the situation, and what we were going to do next.

Amara was quiet for a long time. "_Well… you're in control, I guess. But you never told me that there was another Plainswalker here."_

"_Oh." _Kevin said. "_That must have slipped our mind. But you remember Angela, the herbalist?"_

"_You mean my second favourite character?" _Amara said.

"_She's one of us." _Sparta explained. "_I don't know how she replaced the actual Angela, and frankly, I don't want to know. But we're going to get her to make the Twins' life hell."_

"_Good." _Our cousin said. "_Shit__, I've got to go. Stay safe, cuz."_

"_You too." _Driscol replied. "_Oh, hold on, you just dropped a waterskin."_

"_STOP WATCHING ME WITH YOUR FREAKY MAGIC SWORD!" _Amara said, sticking her middle finger up in completely the wrong direction as we laughed and cut the connection.

At that moment, Jasmine jogged into the dragonhold, and we lowered Omen from Driscol's face.

"Why do you have a sword?" She asked, stopping in her tracks as we sheathed our blade.

"_Because it makes us look really cool." _Kevin smirked as Driscol rolled his eyes and suppressed the urge to smack our left head.

"_Because it's magical." _Sparta explained. "_We're fairly good at using it- at least on the defence. We really need more training."_

"So, back to the training fields where magicians try to drop rocks on our heads, then?"

"_Maybe tomorrow." _Driscol said. "_For now, you don't know how to get to a certain herbalist, do you?"_

Jasmine smirked. "Of course. Follow me."

* * *

A few minutes later, we were at Angela's door. It slid open automatically, and we glanced up at some kind of sensor. That was modern tech, no doubt about it.

Shrinking down so we could fit through the door, we asked Jasmine "_Do you mind waiting out here? We have sensitive topics to discuss with Angela, and a lot of secrets to talk about."_

"I understand. Take all the time you need."

We nodded our thanks before entering the room. The door slid shut behind us, closing us in a large, two roomed apartment. Vines and plants clung up the walls, and bright lights filled the room. Locostral tech filled the corners; a MultiFrom, a holo-projector, a case filled with parts for a gun, grenades, a panic bubble force-field, and even a few drones. Various books and potion ingredients were piled all over the place.

Angela herself was sitting in front of a cauldron that hung over a roaring fire. A few holograms clustered around her as the liquid in the cauldron bubbled a cheerful yellow. The werecat Solembum was nowhere to be seen, although we knew he'd be out and about somewhere in Tronjheim.

"Congratulations on surviving your first assasination." Angela said as we padded round to the other side of the cauldron. "Yes, of course I know it was the Twins. I'm already boiling up a potion of infernal skin rash to get them back for it. If someone goes after one of us, they go after all of us. And that always ends badly for them. I'd also like to point out that I predicted that you'd lose your grip on reality when we first met. Happily, I was right."

We snorted, half in annoyance, half in anger, but we kept a lid on our emotions. We wouldn't attack one of our comrades again. Not after what happened between us and Felix.

"Of course, you three must be supremely pissed, about that, so I'll move on." Angela said. "And I know that you said that you'd ask me to lead the 'search'." She put finger quotations around the word. "Rest assured, I've tacked on to what you want to do. I will procrastinate for as long as possible."

We smiled. "_Thanks Angela."_

She sprinkled some pepper into her potion and stirred it. "Well, we need to have a talk, so let's do that while I concoct the instrument of our revenge. What have you done to influence the storyline?"

"_Well, we're mostly on track." _Driscol said. "_We've changed or done a few things for convenience, and other things have happened that we have no control over. Everything up to Gil'ead happened the same way as in the books, or as close as we could get. You might have seen our cousin, Amara?"_

"I am aware of her existence, yes. Tiamat, isn't she?"

"_Yeah." _Sparta said. "_And she found out that she had a human form the night the Urgals took Eragon. We were pretty jealous at the time, so we just left her to go help zap urgals. As a result, both she and our young Rider got captured. We then broke her out along with Arya and Eragon, and delayed Durza while they escaped thanks to Murtagh and Saphira."_

"You mean you ripped his arms off and kicked him off a roof." Angela smirked.

"_You know what, we're not even going to ask how you know." _Kevin said. "_But yes."_

"Good on you three. I _hate _Shades! They're like a watered-down version of Shadows!"

"_Yep. And we're going to make his death painful." _Sparta promised.

Driscol got the conversation back on track. "_So anyway, that happened. We also bugged Murtagh, so when he gets enslaved by Galbatorix, we can keep track of every single conversation they have."_

"Clever." Angela smirked. "Very clever. The Mad Monarch won't see that one coming! You three have an excellent mental cocktail. You're intelligent, you can adapt to situations, and you have very little ego. Of course, jealousy and envy of your cousin stain the batch-"

"_We're trying to fix that." _Kevin said. "_Moping around doesn't help anyone, and bitching about our unsolvable problems just makes us want what we can't have. Then we get disappointed when we don't get it."_

Driscol nodded and continued. "_So we got Arya here early, and we're waiting around for the others to arrive. And… we think that's it."_

"Good to see that you haven't mucked everything up." Angela said, taking a moment to scratch at Kevin's chin, making our left head dissolve into metaphorical mush. "Now, I want to talk to you about Elva."

We froze at that name. Eragon's biggest blunder in the books, and the reason that we got halfway through _Eldest _before ditching the Inheritance Cycle for a few years. The girl who was forced to feel the pain of others. The girl who could see your fears. The girl who had the intelligence of an adult in the body of a child who should have been an infant.

"I want to stop her blessing from happening." Angela said after the silence had dragged on long enough. "Nobody should be forced to live through what that poor girl does.

Our brains switched into calculation mode. What events would be affected by this? Could the storyline recover from this decision? Could we live with what we decided?

"_Okay, as much as we agree with you, there's an instant problem." _Kevin said, having recovered from his scratches. "_Elva saves Nasuada from quite a few assasination attempts. Who will stop that?"_

"I will, of course." Angela said, her tone making it seem like we'd asked the dumbest possible question ever. "I practically have the books memorised. How else am I supposed to know the lines I'm supposed to speak?"

"_Okay, but what about the invasion of Urû'baen?" _Driscol pointed out. "_There's countless traps in Galby's castle, and only Elva could sense them. How do we dodge that bullet?"_

"With a certain dragon who has armour that is resistant to magic and a knack for regeneration." Angela said, brushing a stray line of hair behind her ear. "You'll be their meat shield."

Sparta considered it. "_Fine. I'm not happy with that, but it's the best alternative we can get. And an innocent life won't be tainted by war, so there's that."_

"A little poetic for a teenager, don't you think?" The herbalist asked, raising an eyebrow.

In sync, we rolled our eyes and said "_Blame the natives."_

Angela laughed. "That's _my _excuse. Now off you pop. I need to attend to this potion before this entire mountain becomes a quarantine zone."

We nodded and rose. "_Any last things regarding the storyline you want to discuss?"_

"Oh! Just the one. When are you planning to tell your companions about the multiverse?"

"_Erm… maybe at the Blood-Oath Celebration?" _Driscol said. "_Our plan was to not tell anyone if we could avoid it, but if we have to, it'll be then."_

"Righto." Angela said. "Now, shoo before I accidentally unleash an itching plague! And beware of the cat that isn't a cat... or a big cat or a werecat! Just a cat that isn't a cat, okay!"

We got out of there pronto.

* * *

We spent the rest of the day at the training grounds, trying to improve our sword skills without having to resort to trickery. Naturally, everyone cheered as we arrived, and we got more than a few pats on the back for saving them all yesterday. We'd told Jasmine that she could take the rest of the day off, but she'd stuck with us. We decided not to question it, so she'd come with us.

Like usual, our defence was strong. But we still sucked at attacking. Three different guys tried to coach us on their different styles, but we just didn't get it. Whichever way we tried to thrust, stab or swipe, it always went wrong.

Finally, a cool, clear voice at our shoulder said "Given your physiology Gidorah-elda, I am not surprised you are having difficulties with your blade."

Turning, we found Arya there, bow on her back and sword at her hip.

"_Good to see you're up and about." _Driscol said.

"I am only 'up and about' because of you, Golden Guardian." Arya said. "It was your swift flight that prevented the Skilna Bragh from spreading too far through my body. After you arrived, the Varden's healers pulled the poison from my bloodstream. I have been recovering since then."

"_Can you teach us how to swordfight properly?" _Sparta asked eagerly. "_Without having to resort to trickery, I mean."_

"If you wish." Arya said, drawing her blade. "Prepare yourself."

We took a defensive stance, raising Omen to where we predicted Arya would be likely to strike. For a while, neither of us moved. Then Arya sprang forward in a blur of motion, almost too fast to see. Despite that, we parried her blade. She jumped back, surprised as we were.

"_How the heck did we do that?" _Kevin wondered, staring down at Omen.

Then Arya came at us again, her blade aimed at our chest. Something inside our heads sparked and time slowed down to a crawl. Or our perception of it did. Arya's sword was still coming towards us, and we raised Omen to deflect it as fast as we could. So at a snail's pace.

The two weapons collided in a shower of sparks, and we prepared ourselves for a strike. As slow as we felt everything was going, Arya barely parried our thrust, and her eyes widened comically slowly. We traded blows for what felt like hours, but was probably only minutes, both of us whirling around and guiding our swords through the most complicated patterns that we could remember.

Finally, we used Omen's crossguard to shove Arya's sword down and to the side. Both weapons stabbed into the ground, and time began working normally. At the same time, we felt a sharp stabbing sensation from inside our skulls and let go of Omen, pressing our hands to our heads. Stumbling backwards, we tripped over one of our tails and collapsed, groaning in pain as yellow spots filled our vision. We felt completely and utterly drained, and every part of our body felt like it was on fire.

"_What… just... happened?" _Driscol groaned, gritting his teeth through the pain.

"_I think… some kind of... bullet time…" _Sparta replied. "_Like... in The Matrix. Question is… how?"_

"_Have you ever heard someone complain about their brain being fried?" _Kevin asked. "_I feel like that. Except literally."_

"_I… completely agree." _Driscol and Sparta said simultaneously.

"_...Are we going to get up?" _Kevin asked after a few minutes.

"..._No. Let's just… recover from whatever happened. We'll think about it later."_

"_...Okay. Do you think Arya will take us back to the dragonhold if we pass out?"_

"_...I don't know."_

* * *

**Snapshot #11:**

"**Do you ever wonder why we're here?"**

"**We're here because Lord Void made us. We realise his great vision of remaking the realms as one."**

"**...I was quoting a human data-net series."**

"**Why?"**

"**Because… I… I don't know."**

"**Go to Lord Void and get your head checked."**

"**But my current form doesn't have a head."**

"**Touché. However, it still doesn't change the fact that you need to be mentally realigned. We must not let ourselves be clouded by morals, empathy or any gooey emotion. Only through the harmony of darkness can we hope to triumph against the chaos of light. If you are not with the rest of us Shadows, you are against us, and you must be destroyed."**

"**I'll go get my head checked."**

"**Good. The more comrades we have to fight against the tyranny of the Plainswalkers, the better. Darkness conquers all!"**

"**Darkness conquers all."**


	32. Chapter 32- Chivalry

**Author's note: So, the bullet time thing. Quoting the Martian, 'I scienced the shit out of this.' So, the general idea was that Cade replaces the usual electric charge in his neurons with lightning, which goes much faster (1/3rd the speed of light). This purely speeds up his reaction time. Muscles will move at the same rate, so he can't move faster, only process faster. Unfortunately, this puts 30,000 amps through his heads, and subjects his nervous system to extreme overheating. Currents between 100 and 200 mA (milliamps) can kill a human. However, Monsterverse King G has 'electro-receptor molecular biology and could conduct electrical currents" (Godzilla wiki), so he could channel lightning in his neurons. (We clearly see him shooting lightning out his wings and chomping down on a substation without problems in the film, too.) However, that doesn't explain the heating issue. Cade's enhanced regeneration is fighting to keep his body in one piece, even as his neurons start burning, which is why he hurts everywhere. He doesn't have trouble thinking as he disgorged his Eldunarí, although the pain of him doing bullet time hinders his ability to reason and process. And we got into a rather large debate on the Discord server about it all, so I thought I'd put this here before anyone kills me for anti-logic.**

**Okay, that's over. On another note, I screwed up in Chapter 15. Cade wouldn't tell anyone about his future knowledge, not even Islingr. Guess I gotta go back and edit that. Also, I think that the Battle of Farthen Dûr won't be next chapter. I need to have a decent chapter of Eragon & co. having a look around Tronjheim first, so sorry. Anyway, time for the chapter!**

**Thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
d8rkforcen1gh7: No problem.  
Man4God: Thanks! Added to the list!  
Daniel Clausen: Will the elves be the same? Yes, I'll try to do them justice.  
Blaze1992: Hahahahaha... no. All Shadows are evil, but they see themselves as crusaders of darkness, fighting against the 'tyranny of the Plainswalkers.'**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

* * *

**Chapter 32: Chivalry.**

"_So, do you have any idea why we're able to do that?" _Driscol asked. "_Or why it hurts so much afterwards?"_

The doctor shrugged. Or tried too. It didn't help that he had the form of some kind of giant octopus that could survive outside of water and had tentacles instead of arms.

"I don't know. I've x-rayed and MRI scanned each one of you, and I've found nothing wrong, so obviously your regeneration process is taking care of it. But if your entire body hurts afterward, it's probably something to do with your nervous system. Apart from that, I can't help."

We sighed, thanked the doctor, and left the hospital, heading back towards Mount Bluepeak. We had almost passed out after our stunt with our sword, and Arya had to help us get back to Tronjheim so we could get a meal and replenish our energy, which was a little embarrassing. The random triggering of the ability and its painful consequences had prompted us to rift back to Locostral the next day- now- and see what had happened.

Our quest to understand what we'd done had been fruitless so far. We knew that we'd somehow improved our reaction time at the cost of feeling like something inside us was melting. Apart from that, we had no idea. Was it some Riftheart ability? Was it just something we could trigger? Was there a way to make it hurt less? So far, our answers had been no, maybe, and perhaps.

Grumpily stomping back towards our mountain home, we were intercepted by Spanners. She looked terrible. Her eyes were bloodshot, her hair was all over the place, and her skin was pale.

"_Woah, are you okay?" _Kevin asked her.

"Fine." she groaned. "I just need coffee. A lot of coffee. And you. My special project is done, and it's ready for you to take control. Come on, you'll like this. Oh, and bring your heart stone things."

"_Our Eldunarí?" _Sparta asked, surprised. "_You do realise that those are basically our one weak point? If even one gets broken, we die."_

"Which is why you need to protect them." Spanners said. "I've got a way for you to do just that. Now come on, and bring them."

"_I'm coming to supervise this madness." _Islingr said firmly. "_And if you do anything that could harm my student, you will have my fury to answer to. Our heart of hearts are not just some fancy rocks. They are everything that makes us, us. You would find an equivalent to be a soul."_

"That's fine by me." Spanners groaned. "And I know what the Elduthingies are and how important they are. Now what was it that I needed? Oh yeah, coffee. And maybe a shower."

"_Well, we only have two out of our three Eldunarí." _Driscol said. "_And we'd need to stop by Bluepeak to get the ones we have."_

"Right." Spanners said, stumbling away. "I need to pull myself together. I'll meet you at my place."

"_What have we got ourselves into?" _Sparta asked as we watched the quartermaster stagger off.

"_I don't know." _Kevin said. "_But I think it's going to be awesome."_

* * *

Twenty minutes and two Eldunarí later, we were standing outside Spanner's workshop. Kevin was banging his head against the door as we had both our hands full. Eventually, the door opened, and we went in, looking about for what Spanner's special project actually was.

Last time we'd been in here, there was a large tarpaulin covering something fairly big. Now, there were three tarpaulins covering three fairly big things. Spanners stood on top of one of them, next to an open hatch with a ladder poking out of it.

"Okay, Eldunarí please." Spanners said, her arms outstretched.

We hesitated. Spanners had done nothing but help us in the past. She'd given us sweet tech, like the infiltration robot. She'd helped us find Omen. She'd put the electronics in Skölir's helmets. But these were our Eldunarí. Our heart of hearts. Our souls. Did we trust her with them?

Closing our eyes and turning our heads away, we raised our mental barriers to block the inevitable contact and slowly placed one of our Eldunarí in her hands. Then we waited for everything to blow up. Nothing did. Cracking open an eye, Kevin saw Spanners vanish down the ladder. There were various clicking sounds, a deep hum, and then a connection to limbs and senses that weren't part of our body.

"Okay, fire it up!" Spanners said as she climbed back out of whatever it was.

She pulled the ladder up, closed the hatch, and an orange heads up display or HUD over a black screen appeared in the connection from our Eldunarí. A message box popped up in the middle of the screen that said 'Activate?', with options for both yes and no.

"_Err, what are we supposed to do?" _We asked as Spanners easily leapt to the next hidden machine.

"Fire it up!" the quartermaster said happily as she opened another hatch.

We shrugged and selected 'yes'. The tarpaulin rippled as air gushed from under it, and some kind of engine roared to life. On the HUD, some kind of ammo counter appeared in the bottom right corner; four different weapons listed under it. A bar with a shield-like icon above it in the bottom left hand corner slowly reached full capacity, and the tarpaulin blew off, revealing… an unpainted, Warhammer 40K Imperial Knight.

There was a moment of silence as we saw ourself from our new robot body and saw us seeing ourself from our draconic body. That was a little disorienting, but if we could cope with having three heads, we could cope with controlling a death machine as well. Sparta jumped into the Eldunarí inside the robot and started checking everything out, looking down at the metallic limbs.

Its left arm ended in a hand that the HUD identified as a Thunderstrike Gauntlet, while the right one was an Avenger Gatling Cannon. With an underslung flamethrower! Awesome! And that wasn't all! Next to the head, it also had a small gun on a ball joint that was called a Stubber. Sparta couldn't see it from the Knight's eyes, but there was also some kind of missile pod on top of the robot's armoured shell.

"_This is…" _Sparta said. "_This is something else."_

"It sure is!" Spanners said happily. "The 'skeletal' frames and most of the armour are from actual Knights that fell in battle, but the electronics and internals are all my handiwork. I thought you'd want me to set it up to give you the best loadout against infantry. You have the gatling cannon and the stubber, which are basically machine guns, the missile pod for area-of-effect attacks, and I thought you'd want the gauntlet for the adaptability that hands have. Like punching down a gate or moving rubble aside for allied forces to get through. Oh yeah, the shields aren't for physical attacks, by the way. They're calibrated to nullify spells, although like your armour, magical objects can still get through."

Sparta started winding up the gatling cannon and cackled evilly as it spun up with a loud whirring noise.

"_This is awesome and everything," _Driscol said as we passed Spanners our second Eldunarí, "_and we're eternally grateful, but how are we supposed to control this body while we're busy fighting in these Knights?"_

"Ah, I thought about that." Spanners said as she vanished inside the second Knight. "You know the 'dumb' AIs from Halo? The ones who aren't really sentient? Well, each Knight has one of those. They'll take care of the chassis while you three aren't using it, and like in RTS games, you can issue orders that they will carry out. If you get good enough at that, I'd say that one of you could take care of all three of them."

"_What about ammo and fuel?" _Sparta asked. "_How does that work?"_

"You'll-" Spanners paused as she connected whatever she was connecting and climbed back out of the robot. "You'll notice that there's a circular hatch in the back of the Knight about the size of a hubcap. That opens up and allows for the Knight to be resupplied and refuelled. The only catch is that you'll have to bring them back here for that, and take them to the technicians. I had to modify the guns to work on Locostral ammo, and the targeting computer for the missiles was awkward to work out, but it should all be fine."

"_But how does it work?" _Kevin asked, starting the second Knight as Sparta tried walking around with Driscol ready to catch him.

"Well, I was thinking about the headsets that you use for gaming." Spanners explained. "They pick up brainwaves, translate them into signals, and send them to a computer. That's how you're controlling it- with your Eldunarí instead of your mind. The difficult part was transmitting signals back into the brain in a way that wouldn't be harmful or damaging. With the help of someone who used to work with brains, I eventually got it working, so it transmits what the Knight sees along with some tactile sensitivity. The HUD is there to overlay some useful information like shield levels and how much ammo you have left. There's also two other features you need to be aware of."

"_What features?" _Sparta asked.

"First off, a dead-man's switch." the quartermaster said as Kevin powered up his Knight and gave her a trip to the floor via a metallic hand. "If the Knight detects _no _mental activity, as in if there's no pilot, then it will shut down. It won't restart unless you enter a pin code that you choose now. The second feature is a SOS."

"_So we can call for backup?" _Driscol questioned as he caught Kevin from falling over on his first step.

"No, so you can eject your Eldunarí in an escape pod if the Knight falls." Spanners explained. "Then the Knight itself activates a self-destruct to prevent the technology from falling into the wrong hands."

All three of us turned around to look at Spanners.

Sparta said what we were all thinking. "_What if the escape pod fails, but the explosive still goes off?"_

"It can't." Spanners explained. "There's a programming block to stop any of them from blowing up while they still have pilots."

"_Well, that… works." _Kevin said. "_Thanks Spanners, we owe you a lot for this."_

Islingr finally spoke. "_Would this technology work for any Eldunarí, Spanners-elda?"_

We quickly figured out what she was thinking, and we grinned as we returned to our draconic body. "_Oh yes! Dragon mechs!"_

Spanners nodded, which was kind of wasted as Islingr couldn't see her. "Of course. Obviously, the pilots would have to understand that they don't need to eat or drink any more, and you'd have to set up some kind of nexus to recharge and refuel the mechs since they wouldn't be able to return here. But… it'd be doable. Although I'd replace the fire breathing with some kind of laser. And there would have to be some kind of jet that would assist with flight. A ten-tonne metal dragon won't get off the ground on its own. And you'd have to make sure the pilots are mature enough to understand what they'd be in command of."

"_Then I shall ask among my brethren for volunteers, and we shall all judge who is worthy." _Islingr said. "_However, I do not think that we shall have many who wish to be in command of one of these constructs. Most of my kin are either satisfied with their current existence, and still more will see this as a mockery of our true bodies. However, I for one wish to have physical form again, as will others who wish to actively rejoin the fight against Galbatorix."_

Spanners' grin widened. "Oh, the Elders are gonna have a field day with this. But because the concept's awesome, I'm going to make you a deal. You get three mechs to start with, same as Cade. You and two others get to pilot them. If you can handle them, you get three more. After that… we'll see."

"_Thank you." _Islingr said. "_We dragons shall not forget what the Plainswalkers have done for us! If we can aid you in any way, we shall."_

"_Keep a look _out for Shadows." We and Spanners said simultaneously.

"_Of course." _our mentor said.

* * *

Over the next few days, we had our three Knights painted the same colours as Skölir, although we only had control over two of them. Training ourselves how to use them had been interesting. Kevin had kept on tripping all over the place, Driscol was reasonably okay with the controls, but it seemed like Sparta had been born to use them, and he even started using one while giving orders to the other. He'd moved onto using live ammo, and was much better than the rest of us at controlling the two machines than the rest of us.

We hadn't told Amara or the Varden about our shiny death machines, preferring to keep them out of harm's way, in Locostral. However, the night that Amara said they'd be arriving at Farthen Dûr, we brought them to Alagaёsia. Without telling anyone what we'd done. Chaos ensued, people started screaming that it was the end times, and it took a lot of explaining later to show that they were just machines, and we had complete control over them. And most people still didn't believe us!

However, when we felt our friends come back into our usual mental range, we instantly sent our two operational Knights down the tunnel to the hidden door beside the lake Kóstha-mérna. Driscol and Sparta were in command, driving the two mechs at a pounding run down the long tunnel as Kevin followed behind them at a more leisurely pace in our draconic body.

As soon as the door's guards saw the mechs pounding down the hallway towards them, gatling guns already whirling and ready to fire, they just 'noped' any thoughts of resistance and let the two robots out, even as the Twin at the gate yelled at them to keep the doors closed. The two Knights then pounded towards the forest at the other end of the lake, activating their built-in searchlights.

"_You ready?" _Driscol asked Sparta.

"_Yes. You?"_

"_Nope! Let's do this."_

Sparta laughed as he and Driscol started smashing through greenery, homing in on our third heart of hearts.

Meanwhile, Kevin was strolling through the tunnel without a care in the world, revelling in the opportunity to have full control of our body. He yawned lazily from all three heads, our claws clicking on the polished stone floor. Finally some peace and quiet. Maybe letting the others take control of the mechs wasn't such a bad idea.

The two of us piloting the mechs didn't realise how close we were to our companions before Saphira lurched into the light of the two robots and roared threateningly.

"_That's what our reunion's gonna be like, is it?" _Sparta said dryly, raising his gun.

"...YOU. HAVE. FUCKING. MECHS?!" Amara thundered after a slight pause.

"_Yes." _Driscol replied, turning back the way he and Sparta had come. "_The Varden's that way. Get to them. We'll deal with the-"_

"_Shit, behind you!" _Sparta said suddenly, opening fire with his Stubber at a lone Urgal.

"_GO!" _Driscol yelled as more enemies ran out of the trees. "_WE'LL COVER YOU!"_

They didn't have time to protest as we unleashed our gatling guns and laid down a hail of gunfire, Shoot to Thrill blaring from one of our Knight's speakers. That made them move, the clapping of rounds blasting and the tinkling of spent casings clinking against small rocks and stones being more than enough incentive to get going. However, even though we kept on killing them as fast as they were coming, the urgals were somehow circling around our two mechs, trying to corner us.

"_Let's retreat back to the end of the lake." _Driscol advised Sparta. "_We can use the narrow gap as a choke point and mow them down."_

"_Good plan." _Sparta said, resorting to his flamer for a squad of urgals who'd got too close for comfort. "_Let's go!"_

It was fairly easy for the two of us to get back through the path we'd made in our hurry to get out here. All we had to worry about was the urgals following us, which wasn't much of a problem. Our mechs had a much longer stride than some overgrown pigs. Reaching the lake, we split up, one of us taking the path on the left, and one of us the path on the right, then stopping about a quarter of the way around as Kevin finally reached the door and demanded they open it again for Eragon, Saphira, Amara and Murtagh, who were pretty much there.

The urgals horde broke out of the forest like a wave, and we opened fire with Sparta's yell of "_Let's bring the rain!"_

That marked the first time we'd used our missile pods against anything. Fires bloomed as explosions boomed into being, dirt and severed limbs flying through the air as screams of pain filled the night. We kept on firing mercilessly, culling any resistance. We tried to be as efficient with our ammo as possible, although it was tricky with it being so dark. Gatling guns pounded, Stubbers clapped, missiles shrieked, and flamers hissed, all in an ordered chaos as the rock song played.

Almost nothing hit us in return. There were a few arrows, but they bounced of our Knight's armour. One unfortunate Urgal fell victim to an arrow rebounding off Sparta's carapace and into his gut.

"_Do I get a 'return to sender' achievement for that?" _Sparta joked as he crushed an Urgal under his foot and threw a boulder at another, squishing it.

"_Guess so." _Driscol laughed as he tanked a magical fireball and shot the caster in the head.

By that point, Eragon had shouted the password, and Kevin had got tired of the Twin's bull****, so he'd pinned the spellcaster halfway up the wall and had ordered the defenders to open the door again. They did as he asked, quickly getting our companions inside before flooding out to see if they could help Driscol and Sparta.

When they reached the two mechs, the song was over, and we were mopping up any last resistance with our Stubbers. Deeming it safe enough to pull the Knights back and stick them into automatic mode, Driscol and Sparta returned to our body and congratulated Kevin for his good work. Outside, fires burned, Urgals bled out, and the Varden's defenders started gathering up the bodies of our enemies. Today had been a good day.

* * *

**Snapshot #12:**

"Sir, we've detected another energy spike."

"Where?!"

"Checking… Japan this time, Sir."

"Send out a response team to see if anything's there."

"Yes, Sir. But are you sure that we can afford to keep doing this? Investigating every single spike takes a lot of money."

"Stanley, we are funded directly from the UN. Of course, 99.9999999 percent of the world don't know that, but we are. We are the top researchers into anything extraterrestrial, paranormal, and even eldritch. If I say that we investigate something, we investigate it, got it? Area 51 isn't here for nothing."

"Yes Sir, dispatching team."

"Good." The general said, turning to face a half-melted key. "We'll get one of them eventually. It's only a matter of time."


	33. Chapter 33- We're breaking canon!

**Author's note: Right. I'm super tired, so I'm sorry, but reviews will be responded to next time. Which might not be for a few days, because I'm taking tomorrow off (my Discord friends banned me from writing, as they were worried that I'd burn out), as I want to get the Battle of Farthen Dûr just right.**

**With thanks to Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**Disclaimer: Same as usual.**

**Beta read by: Whoever.**

* * *

**Chapter 33: We're breaking canon! Duck and cover!**

"_Ghidorah!" _Saphira greeted us happily as she and the others entered the tunnel.

"_Good to see you too, Saphira." _Kevin smiled as we tried not to throttle the Twin we'd pinned against the wall. "_Same goes for you, Eragon. And you too, Murtagh. We missed you guys!"_

"Why didn't you tell me you had mechs!?" Amara yelled at us in half anger, half excitement. "You do not just hide awesomeness of this magnitude!"

We almost flinched before we remembered that we were now a dragon, and that would be pretty embarrassing. "_Err, well..."_

"No, I am too furious with you to let you explain yourselves!" Amara thundered. "Next time you pull something this cool, I expect you to tell me ahead of time, understand?!"

"_Cuz, how could we have told you while you were out of our mental range?" _Driscol said, putting a lot of emphasis on the last few words.

Amara's mouth opened in an 'O', as she realised she'd almost slipped up. "Oh, right. Err… well, you're forgiven."

"_Why, thank you." _Sparta said with pride. "_After all, we did just save your lives. Now come on, you have some important people to meet."_

Amara rolled her eyes and prepared to unleash a comeback, but the Twin interrupted her. "This is unacceptable! You demand the doors to be opened, march your… your constructs out, and now you believe that you have the right to bypass our security processes?! You would compromise the safety of the entire Varden for the sake of a Rider, his mount, and two humans?! I will have you and the captain of the guard punished for your insubordination!"

We whirled our heads back to the Twin in fury as Saphira snarled in anger. He was _soooo _asking to have his head smashed into a pulp, but we couldn't kill him yet.

"_We have Ajihad's approval for these four." _Driscol growled. "_He gave us permission to let them in- _without _probing them. And after some _magician _tried to kill us, our opinion of you has broken through the bottom of the basement. So shut the fuck up before we have a repeat of you slapping yourself in the face."_

The Twin's mouth opened, ready to say something that would probably make us follow through with our threat, but Sparta casually said "_Have you ever wondered what it feels like to have a lightning bolt hit you in the face from point blank range? Because we've developed a severe dislike for wizards in our time here."_

That shut him up. Removing the hand that was pinning the mage to the wall, we said to the others, "_Let's go before he pisses us off enough for us to follow through with our threat."_

* * *

Walking down the tunnel, we swapped stories on what had happened while our companions were racing through the desert. The guards at the gate had promised to take care of the exhausted Snowfire and Tornac, so Eragon rode Saphira at our side, and Amara and Murtagh sat on our armoured back, recounting their tale as our Knights clanked away behind us.

We sighed happily as our four friends took it in turns to tell us what they'd been doing, only half-listening. This was nice. Just the five of us travelling together, no power-hungry magicians, nobody singing our praises, nobody pampering to our every wish. Just us.

Eragon eagerly told us about how he figured out how to get water in the desert. Saphira shared what it was like to fly in the warmth of the Hadarac desert. Amara recounted about how she'd had to play peacemaker between the two boys. And Murtagh confessed that Morzan was his father, and how worried he was about how the Varden would treat him.

"_So what?" _Driscol said. "_We don't care. We judge people by their actions alone. We don't care who your parents are. It's what you do that matters, and so far, you've done nothing but help us. We respect you for that, and don't worry about what the Varden say. We've vouched for all of you, so you shouldn't get into too much trouble with anyone. Still, we wouldn't recommend going off on your own. Other people won't judge you the same we do."_

There was a moment of silence before Murtagh spoke in barely more than a whisper. "Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me."

"_Hey, friends look out for each other!" _Kevin smiled as he turned around to look at Murtagh. "_Don't worry about it. We've got you covered."_

"_So what have you been doing while we were racing through the desert?" _Saphira asked eagerly.

"Did you save Arya?" Eragon asked instantly after her.

"_Well…" _Sparta said. "_We did, and then we met Ajihad, the Varden's leader, and Hrothgar, the King of the Dwarves. See, the Varden are allowed to live here because Hrothgar allows them to. There's a lot of dual loyalty, although the Varden and the Dwarves do support each other. Just be wary of that. And a friendly warning here, everything you say or do will reflect back on you."_

"_Anyway, we met them, and we were received well." _Driscol continued. "_And then we did some stuff. And someone tried to kill us by dropping a stalactite the size of a spaceship on top of us and a load of other people, but we caught it and saved everyone."_

"_What!?" _Saphira demanded, her eyes scanning over us. "_Someone attempted to assassinate you!? Who is responsible!? I will kill them where they stand!"_

"_We don't know." _Kevin lied. "_But we know that it was a magician who did it. Don't worry, someone's already on the case to find them. Still, you and Eragon are too high-profile to risk trying to assasinate, so it's just us, Amara and Murtagh we need to worry about. And even then, whoever did it isn't likely to try to kill us again until they know our full capabilities."_

Saphira growled. "_I do not like this. We came to the Varden to escape the Empire. Now there are spies of the Empire in the Varden."_

"_The Varden's got spies in the Empire too." _Sparta said. "_Don't worry yourselves over it. It's how war works. What happened to us probably won't happen again. Spies try to blend into the background. They seek information, and try to remain inconspicuous. You'll be fine as long as you keep your wits about you."_

That seemed to reassure the others a little, especially after Murtagh said "Galbatorix doesn't like what he doesn't expect. If anything, he'll go after Ghidorah now and leave Eragon and Saphira to their own devices.

"_We're fine with that." _We said. "_We're here to protect you, and if we draw the heat from you, that's fine by us."_

Amara facepalmed. "Cuz, nobody here watches cop shows."

"_Well, then we should show them some cop shows."_ we said.

"That is a terrible idea."

"_Shut up, it's a brilliant idea!"_

"No, you!"

"_UNO REVERSE CARD!"_

"Fuck you! Weapons of mass destruction aren't allowed in this argument!"

* * *

We argued back and forth in a friendly manner as we walked, the tension from our bombshell about almost dying slowly dissipating. Naturally, Eragon being Eragon, he had a buttload of questions about Farthen Dûr, Tronjheim, the Varden, and the dwarves. And our Knights.

"_Well, you remember that we used that robot for the Teirm record raid?" _Kevin asked him. "_Well, our Knights are basically giant robots with super advanced weapons."_

Sparta cut in enthusiastically. "_Gatling guns, flamethrowers, missile pods, machine guns, the works! They're absolutely awesome!"_

"_Speaking of our Knights, we're going to need our third Eldunarí back." _Driscol privately said to Amara, who nodded as subtly as possible and winked at him.

"I don't understand." Murtagh said. "Where did they _come _from?"

"_Same place our armour came from." _Sparta said cryptically.

"_Which is?" _Saphira said secretly.

"_Secret!" _We said happily, before getting an evil idea. "_Although Amara knows." _

Our cousin just glared at us as we chuckled, and everyone else started pestering her instead of us.

* * *

By the time we reached the doors that lead into Tronjheim, everyone was laughing and goofing around, the wild rush of getting here finally over. However, before we pushed the doors fully open, we took a sneak peek out of them. Mercifully, as it was the middle of the night, nobody was here.

"_Okay, follow us." _We told Saphira. "_We're going to the dragonhold, and you can all get some sleep."_

"Sleep sounds good." Amara said. "Where is it?"

"_Right at the top." _Kevin said as we strode out, our Knights heading to the training grounds.

"Can you make that?" Eragon asked Saphira in concern as he looked around the giant cavern of Farthen Dûr.

She turned around to deadpan at her Rider. "_Eragon. Though my wings are weary, I am more than capable of flying to the top of that mountain."_

"_It's a city actually." _Kevin said. "_Tronjheim, the dwarves' capital. This massive cavern is Farthen Dûr. Now come on. Dragonhold, and sleep."_

With a beat of our wings, we took to the skies. Amara whooped in delight, holding onto our armour with one hand as she punched the air with the other. Murtagh screamed in fright and wrapped an arm around our cousin to prevent falling off. Eragon and Saphira laughed as they pursued us, Eragon bent low over the saddle.

"_Race you around the cavern?" _Saphira challenged.

We glanced at each other, then at our passengers, then back at Saphira. "_I don't think that flying at our full speed would be a good idea. We'd have to go to max size, and to fly around in here while we're that big… bad idea."_

"Wait, that isn't the limit to how big you can go?" Eragon yelled over the wind.

We laughed long and hard. "_Of course not! We can go _much _bigger."_

"_Then why stay at that size?" _Saphira asked.

"_Because we like it, and we're the same size as Amara when we do it." _Driscol explained as we circled the dragonhold once before dropping into it and letting our passengers off.

"Now that…" Murtagh said as he slid down our wing and landed on the floor next to Amara. "Was an experience."

We chuckled at his slightly mad grin. He'd be doing a lot more flying soon enough. Still, this had been an exciting evening, and we wanted to get some rest. Stretching out over one of our blankets, we were about to pull another one over us when Saphira laid down by our side and closed her eyes. Not expecting that, we paused for a second before draping the blanket over both of us with a smile.

Catching Amara giving us a funny look, we tried to ask her what she was doing, but she just smirked and walked away without a word. Weird. There was a bed built into the wall, but by unspoken consensus, nobody used it. They just pressed themselves up to us and, slowly but surely, fell asleep.

* * *

The next morning, the number of dragons had increased by one. Amara had her five necks laying over our back, and was snoring away like a chainsaw until we poked her awake and pushed her off.

"_Morning." _She yawned, then looked down at herself. "_Well… that's the first time that happened."_

"_Good morning. You snore like industrial machinery." _Sparta grumbled.

"_You get that itchy feeling during the night?" _Kevin wondered. "_The one that makes you want to turn into your dragon form?"_

"_Yeah." _Amara said, yawning as she stretched like a cat. "_And then I did something that made it go away. I thought I scratched it or whatever."_

"_Apparently not." _Driscol said. "_Now, where's our rock of life?"_

"_Huh? Oh, your Eldunarí. Here." _Amara said, passing us a small bag.

Taking it, we peeked inside, just to check. Our third heart of hearts was nestled in it, safely hidden away.

"_Right, we're going to get this installed into our third Knight." _Sparta said as we slipped out from under the blanket. "_You'll probably meet Ajihad today. And Hrothgar. Be polite, and you'll be fine. And under no circumstances should you talk to anyone about the multiverse apart from Angela."_

"_Got it." _Amara said as we got out our key and prepared to jump realms.

"_Do us a favour and tell us when it's clear to come back." _Driscol said as we created a portal which we stepped through, Eldunarí in our hand.

* * *

It took us a few hours before it was safe to return, which just taught us to be more careful where we rifted from. Our last Knight has activated without any problems, and we casually dropped it off at the training fields to play with its fellow robots.

"_Stand by for Titanfall!" _Driscol said as we opened our taloned toes and let our third Knight drop.

It only fell for about the length of a swimming pool, but the ground shook as it landed. Sparta took command of all three units and started giving them orders. The three robots happily clanked off, our right head in command of the leader as we continued our flight, searching for Eragon and Saphira.

"_I'm gonna check our mental defences." _Kevin said to Driscol. "_If we're going to be fighting Durza soon, I want them to be strong."_

"_Sure thing." _Driscol said. "_Take all the time you need. I'll take care of us."_

With that, Driscol was left alone in our body, and savoured the peace and quiet as he soared around Tronjheim. Soon enough, we were greeted by another set of wingbeats, and glanced over to see Saphira flying beside us.

"_Where have you been all morning?" _She said accusingly.

"_Getting another Knight up and running." _Driscol replied. "_Sparta's controlling them at the moment, and Kevin's beefing up our mental defenses, so I'm the only one home at the moment."_

"_How does it feel?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_How does it feel to be alone after being three for so long?" _Saphira elaborated.

Driscol considered the question. "_It's not true solitude, and we've learned that we shouldn't set our hopes too high. Despite that, it's fucking amazing, and I wish I had a time machine to go back and stop this from ever happening. You know how when you know your true name, you're supposed to know yourself?"_

"_Of course." _Saphira replied.

"_Well that's complete bullshit." _Driscol said as he glanced at Saphira. "_Get three of you in the same body. That's how you know yourself. And we are a sarcastic, tactical-minded asshole."_

"_That's not what I see." _Saphira said quietly. "_I see a strong, brave, honourable person who isn't afraid to sacrifice themself for someone else."_

"_Pfft." _Driscol said. "_Thanks for the compliment, but we aren't that guy. Do we sacrifice ourself for other people? Sure. But strong, brave and honourable? We aren't that dragon."_

"_You are to me." _our friend said, so faintly that we thought we misheard.

"_What was that?" _Driscol asked.

"_Err, nothing." _Saphira said, looking away and blushing slightly.

"_Okay." _We shrugged before looking down at five humanoid figures. "_Hey, is that Eragon, Amara and Murtagh?"_

"_It is." _the blue dragoness said, sounding relieved that we'd changed the subject. "_As well as Arya and Orik- a dwarf who is to be Eragon's guide for the duration of our stay in Farthen Dûr."_

Amara promptly changed into her draconic form and happily roared up at us in greeting from all five heads. Saphira and we happily roared back, and landed beside her as a crowd started to pour out of Tronjheim towards us. Murtagh, Orik and Arya all greeted us politely, and we exchanged small talk. However, a certain Rider only had eyes for a certain elf.

We eyed the growing masses warily, and Orik seemed to pick up on how much danger the inexperienced Eragon was in. "You'd better go. Meet me by this gate tomorrow morning. I'll be waiting."

"How will I know when it's morning?" Eragon said, tearing his gaze away from Arya.

"I'll have someone wake you. Now go!" Orik insisted.

As Eragon slipped through the crowd and mounted Saphira, an old woman grabbed his ankle, hard.

The young rider gulped and asked her "What do you want?"

The old woman showed him a baby wrapped in a blanket as Driscol took a protective half-step forward. "The child has no parents- there is no one left to care for her but me, and I am weak. Bless her with your power, Argetlam. Bless her for luck!"

Eragon glanced at Arya and Orik for help, but they just gave him guarded expressions. Thanks guys, real help there. It now fell to us to save the day.

"_Repeat what I say, word for word, without using magic." _Driscol ordered Eragon. "_Atra esterni ono thelduin. Atra du evarínya ono varda. Un atra mor'ranr lifa unin hjarta onr."_

Eragon tugged the glove he was wearing off of his right hand, and placed it on the infant's forehead. Arya's eyes widened as he repeated the lines, then met our eyes. We subtly winked at her, and she relaxed, nodding at us in approval. The elves' greeting of 'may good fortune rule over you, may the stars watch over you, and may peace live in your heart' was pretty much a blessing in itself, and we knew it was perfectly safe to say.

Saphira glanced back at the child, but didn't touch her snout to the child's brow like in the book. We weren't sure if that was good or bad, but it had happened this way now, so whatever the future brought for Elva was now uncharted territory. Saphira then took off, and we followed, leaving Amara and Murtagh behind.

"_What have I become, Saphira?" _Eragon wondered, not realising that but he'd accidentally included us in the mental conversation. "_I'm only in the first year of manhood, yet I've consulted with the leader of the Varden and the King of the dwarves, am pursued across the continent by Galbatorix, and have travelled with Morzan's son. And now blessings are sought from me! What wisdom can I give people that they haven't already learned? What feats can I achieve that an army couldn't do better? It's insanity! I should be back in Carvahall with Roran."_

Saphira debated on what her answer would be for a while. "_A hatchling, that is what you are. A hatchling struggling into the world. I may be physically younger than you, but I am mentally older. Do not worry yourself over trivial matters. Find peace in where and what you are, as Ghidorah tries to."_

"_Between you and me, he doesn't seem very good at it." _Eragon said, making Driscol suppress a laugh. How true that was.

"_Yet he tries." _Saphira argued. "_He is cast from his home, and yet he tries to find happiness, albeit through strange and fantastical means. As for giving wisdom, everyone knows they have a path to follow. All you have to do is show them which way to go, through advice, feats, and courage. Your blessing was one such event."_

"_But it wasn't." _Eragon protested. "_Ghidorah gave me the words. I was just the messenger."_

"_And yet you said them with confidence and conviction." _Saphira reassured him. "_You underestimate your own importance, Little One."_

Eragon sighed and looked down at the scales on Saphira's back. "_It's overwhelming. I feel as if I am living in an illusion, a dream where all things are possible. Amazing things usually happen to someone else, in some tale of a far-off land and time. But I found your egg, was mentored and tutored by a Rider, and have a three headed dragon of rapidly growing legend as my guardian. Those can't be the actions of the farm boy I am, or was. Something is changing me."_

That hit home harder than we expected. Kevin and Sparta had temporarily dropped into the conversation as soon as Driscol told them it was happening, and we all sympathised with Eragon. Being torn away from what you knew was hard. Being thrust into something else that you didn't know how to deal with? Even harder. But we knew exactly how he was feeling. And it hurt.

"_It is your wyrd, your fate, that shapes you." _Saphira said gently. "_Every age needs an icon- a hero. Ghidorah's movies have shown this. Luke Skywalker, Frodo Baggins, Harry Potter. Perhaps you are meant to join them. Farm boys are not named after the first Rider without cause. Your namesake was the beginning, and now you are the continuation of his legacy. Or the end."_

"_It's like speaking in riddles!" _Eragon groaned, facepalming. "_But if it is all foreordained, do our choices mean anything? Or must we learn to accept our fate?"_

"_The way we see it," _Driscol said, making both of them jump, "_there is a general plan for everyone. You could call it fate. We call it the Cycle of Inheritance." _Kevin howled with laughter at that, and Sparta had to try his best to sush him. "_However, if you want to, you can deviate from it, and alter the plan, as long as you are prepared to accept the repercussions of it."_

"_You were listening to that?!" _Eragon and Saphira both said at once, looking horrified.

"_Every word." _Driscol nodded happily. "_But don't worry. It's you who defines how your life goes. When we get back to the dragonhold, we'll show you the film 'The Adjustment Bureau'. It'll help with your questions about fate."_

They kept on staring at us.

"_I think we broke them." _Sparta commented privately as Kevin tried his best to control himself.

"_Not our fault they looped us into their thoughts." _Driscol smiled. "_Although it's good to know that Saphira pays attention to pop culture."_


	34. Chapter 34: A few Shades darker

**Author's note: So… This took a while to write. I blame the fact that after I took a break, getting back into my rhythm was super hard. (Thanks Discord friends. I blame you for that.) Anyway, I wanted to finish off everything today, so we have this chapter, then a final epilogue next chapter, and then Trial will be over! (There will be a sequel, don't worry.)**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**In response to reviews:  
ThatGuy: Yeah, it's OP, but when you have Shadows to watch out for, it's all or nothing. It's up to the Plainswalker to decide how much technology they show off.  
Blaze1992: They may be MIB wannabes, but no, a Shadow isn't in charge. Some Earthlings do know that there's **_**something**_ **out there, but they never have enough evidence to say who or what. No, all three bots are Knights. Cade has his own powers, and is trying to let go of being human. The last thing he needs is a human android. And I have literally no idea what that second review means, sorry. I get that its an anime thing, but apart from that, no clue.  
Daniel Clausen: Yeah, I try to keep to the original story while adding my own stuff.  
Halfling Hobbit: (In order.) Yes. Yes you did. She is jealous, but she'll get over it. Yes, Earth **_**almost **_**knows. Perhaps we do have lots in common. That is a weapon of mass destruction. Deal with it. Cade is a little blind emotionally. He's never really liked anyone in that sense before, and I only wanted to tease at him and Saphira having a relationship in Trial. Thank you.  
dragonauthor: :D  
Man4God: Thanks!  
thefoolswriter: Thank you for those corrections. I will be going back through and correcting mistakes now.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle**

**Beta read by Regal Eagle and Slack Frost.**

* * *

**Chapter 34: A few Shades darker.**

The next few days were fairly boring. Eragon met up with Angela again, sampled Tronjheim's library, denied the Twins' request to join Du Vrangr Gata, and had his magical and physical abilities tested by Arya. She seemed rather shocked that Brom hadn't taught Eragon about wards, but she ran him through the basics after we asked her.

Murtagh wasn't as well received for obvious reasons, but he got on well with Nasuada when she made her first appearance. And by well, we mean that he barely managed not to stumble over his own words.

Saphira wasn't too fond of being enclosed under the cavern of Farthen Dûr, but she put up with it. The fact that everyone was in complete awe of her and kept on saying how amazing she was definitely helped with that. She seemed concerned that Eragon wasn't ready for all the political machinations of the Varden, but happy that we were all together again.

Finally, there was Amara. She had returned to her draconic form the day we'd brought our third Knight to Alagaёsia, and hadn't expressed any desire to transform back to her human form. We thought that was strange, but when we asked her about it, she simply said that she didn't want to. She felt more comfortable as a five-headed dragon instead of a human.

As for us, we'd put our time to good use. We duelled whoever we could find to try and improve our sword skills with Omen without resorting to our 'bullet time' ability. Arya was more than willing, but she wasn't always available. The same went for Eragon, so Murtagh quickly became our sparring partner. We went at it for hours and hours, desperately trying to get better on the offensive as we clashed blades.

We made very little progress, which didn't make us too happy. We knew we were good at defence, but there was just something about offence that didn't quite get. Still, at least we managed to get some good practise in with our Knights while our regular body was sleeping. Eldunarí were awesome for if you needed to multi-task.

And then everything went to shit.

* * *

It was the middle of the night, and we were drilling in our death machines when Amara shook our golden bulk into wakefulness. Realising what point of the timeline we'd reached as we saw the dwarf in the doorway, we silently cursed. We thought we had perhaps a day or two more before the warning of the urgal army arriving. Still, it was better than being completely unprepared.

As Eragon woke Murtagh, we spread our wings alongside our cousin, and ordered our Knights to start patrolling in circuits around Tronjheim. We weren't sure if there were any scouts sent ahead of the main force of urgals, but it was better being safe than sorry.

Quickly finding Orik outside of one of the gates, we landed beside him and shrank down until we were human sized. Amara touched down next to us and shifted into her human form, brushing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

The dwarf barely concealed a string of surprised curses, muttering "Magic…" rather distastefully.

We glanced at Amara and chuckled. If only he knew what we really were. Unfortunately, we hadn't seen much of Orik during our time in Tronjheim, despite him becoming a main character later on in the books. Still, he'd been polite every time we met him, and he- like all the other dwarves- was fascinated with Skölir, Omen, and our Knights, and asked us an avalanche of questions that we did our best to answer.

"What's going on for you to need us in the middle of the night?" Amara asked, feigning ignorance.

"I don't know much." Orik said. "But if it's urgent enough for Ajihad and Hrothgar to summon you two and our young Rider, I'm not sure that I want to find out."

We nodded as Saphira reached the ground next to us, and Eragon asked the exact same question Amara had. Orik gave him a similar answer, and asked us to follow him to Ajihad's study.

On an impulse, Sparta quickly flicked into our Knights and checked their ammo and fuel levels. All three of them were good on fuel, but units 1 and 2 needed an ammo resupply. They weren't even halfway depleted, despite their destruction of that Urgal force a few nights ago, but we wanted all of them to be full. Battles were long, and we knew we wouldn't be able to keep on blasting all the way through them.

By then, we'd reached Ajihad's study. The large door was opened by two burly guards, and the eight of us encountered the Varden's leader bleakly inspecting a map with Hrothgar. Arya and a wiry-armed man were also present, both of them pointing at different positions on the map and arguing about where was most efficient to place our forces.

Ajihad looked up as the door closed behind us with a thud. "Good, you're all here. Meet Jörmundur, my second in command."

All of us gave him various acknowledgements, but we internally scowled. This was a pre-battle meeting, not a social gathering!

Hrothgar took over the proceedings. "We've summoned you all here because we are under imminent attack."

There were shouts of surprise from Eragon and Murtagh, but we motioned for them to shut up so Hrothgar could continue.

The dwarf king nodded to us in thanks, and carried on. "Half an hour ago, a dwarf ran out of an abandoned tunnel under Tronjheim. He was bleeding and nearly incoherent, but he had the sense to inform the guards about what was pursuing him; an army of Urgals, maybe a day's march from here."

Eragon's mouth fell open, and Murtagh swore like a sailor and even managed to teach us a few new curses. Orik scowled and tightened his grip on his ax.

Ajihad raised his hands as everyone apart from us started talking at once. "Quiet! There is more to this. The Urgals aren't approaching over land, but under it instead. They're in the tunnels. We're going to be attacked from below."

Once again, there was a lot of yelling, but Eragon raised his voice. "Why didn't the dwarves know about this sooner? How did the Urgals even find the tunnels?!"

Hrothgar fixed his eyes on the map. "We're lucky to know about it this early. There are thousands of tunnels throughout this mountain range that my people have carved out in our quests for riches. They are uninhabited, unguarded, and are not patrolled. It would be too much of a drain on our resources. The only dwarves who enter them are those who have no love for social contact, or those who have broken our laws and have been left clanless. We could easily have received no such warning."

_Again, _everyone started talking at once. For goodness sake, we weren't going to be able to form a strategy at this rate. Sick of everyone delaying everything, we put on another meter of height, Skölir emitting a bright glow from the rift-sensitive alloys, and added our voices to the din.

"_ALRIGHT, EVERYONE SHUT IT!" _Silence fell so fast that we wondered if we were in the vacuum of space again. "_Good. Now, give us the details, and nobody interrupt until the explanation is finished. Then we plan our defence. Got it?"_

Everyone nodded, and we motioned for Ajihad to continue. "Thank you, Ghidorah." He poked at the map, near the end of the Beor Mountains that touched Surda. "This is where the dwarf claimed to have come from."

"It's called Orthíad." Hrothgar elaborated. "An ancient dwarven city that has been long since abandoned. Before Tronjheim's majesty, it was the greatest of our dwellings, but no one has lived there for centuries. It's age means that some of the tunnels have likely collapsed, allowing it's discovery from the surface."

"Indeed." Ajihad said. "It's likely that the Urgal column chasing Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh and Amara was supposed to go, and I am sure it's where the Urgals have been migrating all year. From there, they have access to the entire tunnel network, and can travel anywhere they want within the Beor Mountains. And now, they aim to wipe out both the Varden and the dwarves."

"_So we have no information about the size of their force, whether any of Galbatorix's troops are with them, or what weapons they have." _Sparta inferred. "_The only thing we know is that they're coming, and we have a day maximum to prepare."_

"Unfortunately, yes." Ajihad said. "If Galbatorix has incorporated his own forces into the Urgal army, we stand very little chance, even with your help."

"_I wouldn't be so sure." _Kevin said with a smug grin.

We weren't bragging with that though. We did have the power to just wade through our opposition, and we knew it.

Hrothgar grinned grimly. "We've already decided on a course of action. Our only hope is to contain the Urgals in three of the larger tunnels and channel them into Farthen Dûr so they can't swarm into Tronjheim like locusts to honey. We'll have to collapse all the other tunnels, which will take time."

"But why don't we just collapse all the tunnels?" Eragon asked.

"Because then the Urgals could clear the rubble and attack in a direction that we don't want them too." Jörmundur explained. "Think of them as a flood of water coming down a channel towards a city. You may be able to build barriers in its way, but it'll smash through them eventually. However, if you dig another channel _around _the city, you can divert the flood instead, and make it easier to deal with."

"Besides," Orik said, "Tronjheim sits on such a dense and complicated network of tunnels that if too many are weakened, sections of the city would sink into the ground under their own weight. We can't risk that."

"So you intend to divert the fight outside Tronjheim, into Farthen Dûr?" Murtagh clarified.

Hrothgar glared at him, but relented when he caught sight of us glaring at him. "That is correct. Tronjheim's perimeter is too large for us to defend, even with the combined might of my people and the Varden. We shall seal all the passageways and gates leading in here. The Urgals will be forced out onto the flats surrounding our capital, where there is plenty of room for our forces."

"And for us dragons." Amara added, grinning.

"That being said, we cannot risk an extended battle." Ajihad said. "While the Urgals are here, there will be a constant risk of them quarrying up through Tronjheim's floor. If we are simultaneously attacked from outside and from within, then we _will _be overrun."

"_Back to the three tunnels." _Driscol said, having come up with a strategy. "_We can use them as bottlenecks, preventing the Urgals from getting their army out. We can station one of our Knights at the mouth of each tunnel and just let them cleave into the urgals until they run out of ammunition. Then we recall them, and let the Urgals get their army out. As you said, we want them to think that they can still get through them and not look for an alternate route. However, once they form up, it's full-on attack, no holds barred. We hit them hard, and we hit them good. We'd be on the ground, but Amara, you'd be providing air support."_

Amara nodded. "I can do that, and it means that I can keep out the way of the ground forces as you three just stomp over everything."

Ajihad stroked his chin in consideration. "Your strategy certainly has merit, Ghidorah. It would cull the Urgals' numbers before they reach our forces, and minimise casualties. Are your Knights agreeable to this plan?"

"_They're machines." _Kevin explained. "_They do anything we tell them to."_

"Very well." Ajihad said. "Then we shall put your plan into action."

"But what about our families?" Jörmundr asked. "I won't see my wife and son murdered by Urgals!"

"All the women and children shall be evacuated to the surrounding valleys." Hrothgar reassured him. "If we are defeated, they have guides who will take them to Surda. That's all we can do, under the circumstances."

There was a pause to allow for any further questions. When there weren't any, Ajihad squared his shoulders in a 'I'm gonna give a speech' pose. "The Urgals will arrive in a matter of hours. We know that their numbers are great, but we _must _hold Farthen Dûr. Failure will mean the dwarves' downfall, death to the Varden- and eventual defeat for Surda and the elves. This is one battle we cannot lose. Now, go and prepare yourselves. Jörmundr, ready the men to fight."

* * *

We scattered, all of us going separate ways. We had volunteered to help cave in the tunnels, and we'd asked Amara to go and get our first two Knights resupplied. She'd agreed, and had taken the two mechs and all our stuff back to Locostral so it wouldn't get wrecked from Arya shattering Isidar Mithrim. The only things we still had were Skölir, Omen, Islingr's Eldunarí (which Amara was keeping with her, as she hadn't had any true combat experience and needed coaching), and our key, which we'd hidden inside our third Knight's cockpit.

Anyway, we had grown to full size and were collapsing the tunnels by slamming our two tails into them. Anything below them was utterly crushed, and we left the dwarves to wall them up with rubble as we moved onto the next tunnel and smashed that too.

Eventually seeing Eragon and Saphira, we decided to just walk past them and see what happened. With every step we took, the ground shook, stones jumped up in the air, and small craters were created to mark our footsteps. Both dragon and Rider looked around for the source of the shockwaves, and they eventually spotted us. They could only stand there with their mouths open as we passed. We were _so _huge that we could have fitted Saphira in one of our mouths whole if we wanted to. Eragon could barely do more than stutter as we lowered our heads towards them, and Saphira trembled slightly.

"_Now this," _Driscol said proudly, "_is our biggest size." _

"_Yes, yes._" Amara said, nudging us with one of her paws. "_We're all very impressed. Anyway, the knights have been resupplied, and they're ready to go slaughter the greenskins._"

"_We know." _Sparta said.

"_You… how do… oh yeah…_" our cousin said, remembering that we pretty much were the Knights.

"_Still, thanks Cuz." _Kevin said as we started to walk off, leaving Eragon and Saphira staring at us in wonder. "_Let's go see if we need to collapse any more tunnels."_

* * *

We didn't. So we just decided to camp out alongside the Varden's army, curling up and feigning sleep as we took manual control of our knights and waited for the Urgals. There was very little talk, and a lot of tension. Everyone was grim-faced, standing ready in formation. It was fairly easy to notice that the dwarves had been outfitted much better than most of the humans. They had more armour, and better weapons, but the humans' gear wasn't anything to sniff at either. Plate armour had this thing about it where it just looked cool.

Brief thoughts about asking someone in Locostral about a better standard set of armour flew through our heads before we dismissed the idea. We'd done enough technological contamination with our Knights, various entertainment systems, and the promise of dragon mechs. We'd bent the Prime Directive more than we were happy with. Well, we were okay with the dragon mechs that Spanners were going to build. The Eldunarí in the Vault of Souls all deserved a second chance, and they'd just be getting their bodies back. Nothing more, and nothing less. We were just worried about what would happen if we introduced tech that Alagaësia wasn't ready for. If they got their hands on guns…

We stretched, got up, and went for a walk to ease our worries. There was a steady stream of refugees pouring out of Tronjheim, all of them carrying food, clothing, and personal possessions. They were escorted by the oldest and youngest warriors, as they would either not have enough experience to go into battle, or they were too old to easily wield a weapon.

Jasmine managed to catch us before she headed off with the rest of her family, and wished us luck for the coming battle. We'd thanked her, and had asked what she thought about having to go.

"I'm not happy." She sighed. "Uncle Fredric has taught me how to fight, so why can't I stay behind and help fight?! I'd be at least as good as anyone else my age."

"_We completely agree with you there." _Sparta said.

Our guide blinked, as if she'd expected a different answer. "Wait, you three think I should be allowed to fight?"

"_Yep." _Driscol nodded. "_We have both men and women in the military back home. You people have a much bigger gender gap than we're used to."_

"Wait, really?" Jasmine asked.

We nodded. "_One of our M- sorry, Dam's best friends works in the army of the country we were born in. Honestly, it's up to you to defy the expectations people set on you. If people think you can't join the army, you're the only one who can prove them wrong. Still, we wouldn't ask to join in at this precise moment."_

Jasmine turned to look at the army of men and dwarves. "Yeah… I see your point. I'd just be a nuisance to them."

"_Still," _Kevin said, "_after we win, ask your uncle. He might be able to help you."_

"I like that." Jasmine smiled. "'After we win.' I wish I had your confidence. Still, good luck!"

We smiled as she hurried off, then continued our walk around Tronjheim. Nothing interesting happened as we walked the loop, so by the time we got back to where the bulk of the army was, we were rather bored. Yawning, we looked up. Would it be a benefit to supercharge ourself? Well, that depended if we could create a thunderstorm without rain. Muddy ground would make fighting difficult for our infantry. In the end, we decided not to. We didn't need the power boost, and it wasn't worth the possibility of making our troops' chances worse.

Amara landed beside us as we fixed our gazes on each of the tunnels. "_What are you thinking about, cuz?"_

"_What we're gonna have for dinner." _Kevin joked.

Amara snorted. "_I'm gonna say a pile of raw meat. What do you think?"_

"_Lightning bolts." _Driscol replied.

"_I wonder if you can take too much energy in…" _Amara started to say as Saphira padded up towards us in her new armour.

"_How do I look?" _She asked.

We looked down at her… and down some more… and some more. We'd never been at this size around Saphira before, and the difference in scale was slightly terrifying. If we even stepped wrong, then we'd have one less dragon on our side. Still, she looked good in her armour. Like Skölir, it covered her entire body except for her wings and her lower jaw. However, it was unpainted, being a shiny silver colour with golden engravings on it.

"_On the badassery scale, a solid six." _We decided.

She mock-glared at us. "_Why not a ten? I am magnificent, am I not?"_

We got up, and started surging lightning over our armour. Brilliantly bright, golden beams arched and jumped over the red plating of Skölir as we stood upright and spread our wings. Our eyes glowed with the same radiant colour as we let out a roar, promising the oncoming army that they would meet with death and destruction. Then we let the power fade, and fell back to all fours with an almighty crash.

"_That my friend," _Amara said to Saphira as we gave three smug grins, "_was a ten."_

Saphira stared. "_I need to learn how to shoot lightning."_

Kevin smiled. "_Stick with fire. You need to be _flashy _for lightning to work for you."_

"_And we don't want you _stealing our thunder_." _Sparta chuckled.

"_I don't think that you can just learn to shoot lightning." _Driscol consoled her. "_Although if you do figure it out, we'll be _shocked."

"_Cuz." _Amara said, looking around for something. "_Shut up."_

"_But we're just making bad puns!" _Kevin complained.

Amara growled at us. "_Cuz, it's not the time"_

Reluctantly, we lapsed into silence, and waited for the forces of evil to attack.

* * *

As the first harsh shouts erupted from the darkness a few hours later, we were in command of our Knights and ready to go. Spotlights activated, turning night into day. Gatling guns started winding up, ready to fire. Engines revved up from a mere standby phase to roaring away.

"_Ready?" _Driscol asked.

"_Yep." _Kevin replied.

"_For this? Definitely." _Sparta snarled happily.

"_Who has the choice for the first song?" _Kevin asked, ready to open fire.

"_Me." _Driscol said, and began dishing out rounds as 'At Doom's Gate' started playing.

Sparta laughed maniacally as he followed Driscol's lead, his gatling gun felling urgals left, right, and center. "_RIP AND TEAR, BOYS!"_

We did just that, guns pounding away. Rounds tore through Urgals, spilling blood, guts, and various limbs. Explosions sent clouds of dirt, fire and blood through the air. More than once, the clapping of gunfire ceased, replaced by the hiss of flamethrowers, the roar of fire, and more screams. Honestly, we didn't see the Urgals as people yet. Combined with the HUD and the music, this just felt like some kind of videogame. The deaths we were causing didn't feel real.

Still, we managed to last for a good hour until we were forced to retreat. We'd blazed through our rock and metal playlist, unleashing 'Shotgun', 'Seek and Destroy', and 'Electric Eye' among many other songs while blasting through the forces of pig-like evil. We were actually so efficient that there seemed to be more dead urgals then live ones down there, but eventually, we ran out of ammo.

With a few last bursts of flame, we ordered our Knights to retreat and returned to our regular body with a shudder.

"_Urgh." _Sparta groaned. "_Kill counts, guys?"_

"_5,409." _Driscol reported.

"_4,987." _Kevin added.

"_Well, looks like I'm on top." _Sparta said proudly. "_7,716."_

"_So about 18,000 total." _Driscol calculated.

Kevin whistled. "_Now that has to be a sizable fraction of their forces."_

"_Probably." _Driscol said. "_We don't have exact numbers of their forces, but it's gotta be large. Time to change that."_

Kevin and Sparta nodded, and we prepared ourself for battle as the Urgals began to swarm out of the tunnels and form up into battalions. After a quick check over Skölir and making sure that Omen was in its sheath, we looked down at Amara.

"_It's time, cuz"_

"_You still want me on air support?" _She asked, spreading her wings and preparing to take off.

"_Yes please." _Kevin said as we began to walk towards the oncoming army.

"_Gotcha." _Amara said, rising into the sky with great beats of her wings. "_Stay safe, okay?"_

"_You too." _Driscol replied, electricity starting to surge over our armour.

"_Enough talk, let's fight!" _Sparta said.

We roared in challenge from all three heads as we advanced, our eyes beginning to glow. A few war-horns coming from the Urgal force in reply, but there were nowhere near as many as we thought there would be, given the size of their army. Their force was utterly huge, practically a carpet over the flat land around Tronjheim, and they were still pouring out of the tunnels.

Driscol glanced up at the stalactites far above us. "_Do we drop those on the Urgals, or do we just gravity beam them into oblivion?"_

"_Gravity beams." _Kevin and Sparta said in sync.

Driscol nodded, and we let loose a storm of golden bolts. Every shot utterly obliterated everything within a twenty meter radius, and sent anything that wasn't instantly vaporized flying through the air. After a few shots, Sparta got this glint in his glowing eyes, and decided to try out a continuous beam rather than single shots. The crackling stream razed across the battlefield, carving through everything it touched and leaving a wide trench in its wake.

Kevin and Driscol quickly caught on, and replicated Sparta's move, completely wrecking the Urgal forces. And then we started adding physical attacks to the mix. Our feet crushed anything under them. Our wings flapped, knocking our enemies off their feet in gusts of wind. Our two tails swept across the battle, causing waves upon waves of deaths and sending Urgals flying. It was like knocking down bowling pins using wrecking balls. Completely over the top, but extremely satisfying.

Amara took care of the Urgals who were getting too far from the main group that we were annihilating. To her credit, she didn't hold back, raining down jets of fire, shards of ice, bolts of lightning and streams of acid. She only used her poison breath in strafing runs over the main Urgal force, not willing to risk hitting our allies with it. However, she never landed, and always attacked from a different direction to evade the black arrows that came feeling for her, although almost all of them bounced off her thick hide.

All in all, things were going rather well. We were having a rather good time cutting through the bulk of the enemy army, the Varden had just started to engage the enemies that had streamed around us and towards them, and Arya had started directing Amara towards any Urgal spellcasters so they could be eliminated. But for every Urgal we killed, ten more took their place, and when we killed _them, _there were another hundred to back them up.

* * *

The fighting raged for hours. And we mean _hours._ We were still going strong, but we doubted that anyone else except Amara was in the same situation. We checked in with Eragon and Saphira every now and then, and they seemed to be fine, if tired. Our thinning of the Urgals' numbers had certainly helped the Varden, but the tide was beginning to turn against us. The fact that the Varden were also fighting was the sole reason for that. We couldn't generate a powerful storm without hindering them too.

Saphira eventually contacted us. "_Ghidorah, we've been told that the Urgals are trying to dig into Tronjheim! Eragon, Arya and I are going to stop them. Ajihad has requested that you join us if possible."_

We eyed the cavern's roof, and the massive stalactites on it. "_Give us a few seconds."_

Then we blasted at the rock directly above us, using our telekinetic beams to grab hold of the jagged spikes and pull them down. The fighting stalled slightly, everyone turning to see what we were doing as there were several massive _cracks_, and thousands of tons of rock began to fall upon the main Urgal force- the one that the Varden weren't facing. The one which we were in the middle of.

It was kind of impressive, really. It looked like a large chunk of the sky had transformed into stone and had decided to meet its friends on the ground. Urgals screamed in terror, dropped their weapons and tried to flee, but the shadows of the falling rock outran them, trapping them in the inevitability of gravity's laws.

To our immense pride, we tanked it with utter ease. The stalactites crashed upon us and the surrounding area with a _boom _that was so loud you could feel it in your chest. They fractured into billions of smaller, car-sized boulders that flew outward like massive shards of a shattered vase. Skölir rang like a gong from the impacts, and it suffered a lot of denting, but we were absolutely fine- even our vulnerable wings. If King Ghidorah could survive and _rebound _missiles_, _we could easily survive a couple of rocks. The only thing that even mildly affected us was the dust cloud that billowed up around us. The Urgals were nowhere near as lucky, thousands of them having been crushed under the rocky rain.

Taking to the skies with a triumphant roar, we burst from the dust cloud. We circled once over the battlefield to savour the result of our move. The main force had been decimated. Urgals were _still _climbing out of the tunnels, but they'd have to make their way over and through a jagged maze of crumbled rock to get to the fight. If the Varden just camped and let the Urgals come to them, they'd have an easy fight.

We shrank to our regular size as we fell into formation on Saphira's right wing as she struggled towards the dragonhold with Eragon and Arya on her back. "_Well, that turned out better than we expected."_

She grunted and glared at us. "_Never… do that… again… When the rocks... began to fall… I thought..."_

"_We don't die easily." _Driscol assure her. "_We knew what we were doing. Are you okay though?"_

"_An Urgal… with an ax… crushed the front of my armour... together." _She groaned. "_It makes it hard for me to breathe… and I have trouble moving."_

We shifted so that we were a little underneath her. "_Latch onto our back. We can get you to the dragonhold."_

"_I can manage."_

"_Are you sure?" _Kevin asked. "_We won't think any less of you if you need help."_

"_I'm sure." _Saphira said.

We were pretty sure that was a lie, but draconic pride was one of the indomitable forces of the multiverse. Saphira would drop out of the sky before admitting that she wouldn't be able to make it. We just had to hope that she could live up to her boast.

* * *

Thankfully, the blue dragoness' confidence was not misplaced. We safely made it to the hold, and Saphira dropped to the floor, panting.

Eragon jumped to the floor and briefly put his hand to her side and said "Stay well" before running towards Vol Turin. Arya also leapt off and started liberating Saphira from her armour.

"_We'll keep him safe!" _Sparta promised Saphira as we shrunk down to human size and ran after her Rider.

Eragon threw down one of the stacked leather pads into the slide beside the staircase and lay down on it, feet first. We followed suit as he pushed off, putting a mat into the trough and leaping onto it, headfirst. Whooping in excitement as we started down the now familiar rush of the slide, we crouched low over the leather, trying to get as much speed as possible- partly to get to the bottom fast, partly for enjoyment.

Like usual, we took about ten minutes to get to the bottom. We found Eragon was curled up in a ball, waiting for the world to stop spinning. We were absolutely fine though, courtesy of having experience on roller coasters and a higher g-force tolerance.

"_You okay?" _We asked him.

"I just… need a second." Eragon groaned, trying to get up.

A sudden cracking noise filled the air, and we drew Omen, ready for the coming fight. "_That'll be a second we don't have. Get ready."_

An explosion filled the room with dust and needle-like fragments of rock. We helped Eragon to his feet and prepared ourself to fight as Urgals clambered out of the gaping hole in the floor. Eragon drew Zar'roc as Durza levitated from out of the pit, but something about the Shade was different. His red eyes now glowed, and his clothes seemed to be made out of living darkness, rippling as he moved. He'd upgraded his arsenal with a bigger sword with a jet black gem in the pommel, and he wore a midnight-dark roundshield on his left arm.

"So," he hissed disdainfully upon seeing us, "we meet again, Beast."

"_We promised we'd kill you next time we met." _Sparta said. "_You're very eager for death, aren't you?"_

"You can't stop me now." Durza smirked as he dropped to the floor, and the shadows in the room seemed to bend towards him. "They have made me _more._ They have shown me the true might of the darkness."

"What are you talking about?" Eragon demanded.

Durza gazed at him contemptuously, as if he were some kind of scum on the bottom of his boot. "That is the beast's concern, Rider, not yours. I may not have caught you last time, but I shall not fail again. You were foolish to escape from me in Gil'ead. It will only make things worse for you in the end."

The Shade snapped an order at the Urgals and they circled the four of us as we requested 'power beyond power'.

Omen's blade crackled with blue electricity, and we pointed it at Durza and Driscol demanded "_Answer us. Tell us what you mean, or we'll cut the information out of you."_

"I think not, Child of Rift." he smirked, showing off his pointed teeth as our eyes widened. "Oh, so you've finally figured it out. I have been enhanced- perfected, even. Though I do not equal my patrons in might, I am still more powerful than you! I am what other Shades could only dream of being!"

"_You've been imbued with the power of Shadows." _Kevin whispered.

"You're rather slow on the uptake, aren't you?" Durza said, guiding his sword into a starting stance and raising his shield. " Let's see if your- and the boy's blades are faster than your wits."

Then he came for us.

We blasted a beam of lightning from Omen, but he blocked it on his shield as he slashed at us. We parried the blow, and Eragon tried to move around Durza to get a good shot at his heart. The Shade, if he could even be called that any more, ejected a tendril of darkness out of his back and towards the young Rider as he swiped at us.

We had no idea what the tendril would do, but we knew that whatever it was would be bad. Kevin managed to halt it with a gravity beam, achieving some kind of lock with it as we managed to trigger our 'bullet time' move. The world wasn't as slowed down as it had been last time we'd used the ability. Instead, it just slowed Durza down to the pace of a regular man, allowing us to counteract his next attack and punch him in the face before we were blasted backwards by a river of living darkness that erupted out of the Shade's chest.

We didn't lose our footing, but we had to drop Omen and use our wings to defend ourself from the onslaught. The continuous jet of shadowy power felt like being blasted by Seithr Oil coming at us like it was spraying from a fire hose. We screamed in agony and blasted the attack with our Gravity Beams, trying to achieve beam-lock. We had no success, and a sudden pulse sent us flying into a wall, our wings smoking as they began to heal.

We tried to get back to our feet, but we'd been knocked out of bullet time, and everything felt sluggish in comparison. We felt incredibly weak too- discharged of our power. Managing to stand up and summon Omen to our hand, something primal sparked inside us as we grew to twice Durza's height.

The only other time we'd felt like this was when we fought Felix, but even that was different. That felt wild and savage, and we were acting on instinct. This felt comforting and right, as if we'd been missing some part of ourselves that we hadn't known existed."

A faint, but familiar voice in our mind said "**Go get him, champ. I believe in you." **

"_Rift…" _we whispered, and the spark inside us blazed into a raging inferno.

We felt our scales crack apart, and the gaps between them began to glow a glorious orange. Misty vapour began to rise out of them- trailing wisps of Rift energy. That same energy flowed through them like rivers, meeting, branching, flowing over us from heads to tails as our wings stitched themselves back together. Flexing our fingers, we watched as liquid rift flowed through the air around them at our command. And from somewhere, Halo 3's 'One Final Effort' started playing.

"_We've gone Super Saiyan…" _Kevin said in awe, looking at Driscol and Sparta, and seeing that our eyes and horns had started glowing orange.

"_No, this is different." _Driscol said. "_We're channeling rift energy… Let me combine some words… Err… Rinjai? The 'Ri' bit from 'Rift' and the 'njai' bit as a mash of 'energy'?"_

"_Works for me." _Sparta said as we rose.

Eragon was in bad shape. Durza was winning both the physical and mental battles, pushing the young Rider back. Then, just as he raked his sword across Eragon's back, making him scream in pain, we re-entered the fight. Making a punching motion with our free hand, a burst of rift energy erupted from our fist and shot towards Durza with a roar and an orange glow. It hit him square in the back, sending him stumbling as Kevin leapt forward in a mental attack on the Shade.

Durza threw Eragon backwards with a dark tendril and spun around to face us. His face turned white as a sheet as he saw us advancing towards him. Sparta fired off a gravity beam that blasted the Shade's shield out of his hands. Kevin decided to jump a few Halcyon-class cruisers into the mental battlefield between Durza and Eragon's brains and began blasting everything that wasn't our friend's influence.

"Kill the beast!" Durza ordered the Urgals.

We clenched our fist and beams of ornage light shot out from the gaps between our scales, all of them striking an Urgal and almost instantaneously burning them to crisps.

"_Oh yeah." _we said, grinning as orange light swirled around us. "_Shit__ just got real."_

Durza shot tendrils of darkness at us, but as they got close to us our Rinjai aura pulsed, burning them away into flakes. With one hand swinging Omen in an overhead strike that the Shade barely blocked, we charged the other with energy and delivered a solid strike to his chest. The shadow-like aura that surrounded him lessened the blow, but we still connected, throwing him backwards a few meters.

He landed on his feet and slid backwards, but looked up as a massive crash filled the chamber. From high above, the Star Sapphire had shattered, and out of the crystalline remains burst Saphira, Arya on her back. The sapphire blue dragoness roared, and hot flames billowed from her mouth- bright yellow with a blue center where it was hottest. Arya wielded her sword in one hand, had the other coated in a nebula of green magic as she prepared to cast a spell

It was definitely a ten on the badassery scale, although it couldn't outdo us. Through our Rinjai, we'd just graduated to a thirteen. Coating Omen in the orange energy as we summoned blue lighting through 'power beyond power', we thrust our sword through Durza's heart, just as the flaming point of Zar'roc came out through it on our side. We and Eragon had both stabbed Durza at exactly the same time.

Durza looked at us in shock as we got in his face and snarled "_This is for Amara. Go and die in a hole, bitch."_

Then he screamed a hellish howl, dropped his sword, and clutched at his chest. His skin turned transparent, revealing swirling patterns of darkness along with glowing red crystals the same colour as his eyes, crimson mist surrounding them.

"No…" He gasped, gazing up at us in shocked fury. "Darkness... conquers… all…"

Then his skin ripped open, and the spirits inside him exploded outwards, blasting over the walls of Tronjheim and out of Farthen Dûr. However, the energy from the crystals came towards us, striking at us in tendrils of crimson power that met with our Rinjai aura. The two energies collided, forming a dual light and darkness, making shadows in the light and light in the shadows before they finally immolated each other.

We dropped to the floor, suddenly exhausted as our aura started to flicker. As we released our grip on the flickering blade of Omen and closed our eyes, gently slipping towards unconsciousness, we reflected on what had just happened. We had killed Durza. We had won… But the Shadows were in Alagaësia. They would be looking for ways to destabilise the realm and bring it under the dominion of Void. This hadn't been a victory. This was just the start of much, much more.

* * *

**Snapshot #13:**

Sal shouldn't really have been in the Shire. Dragons were feared across Middle Earth, and her presence would cause mass panic. But she and one of her teammates were here at Bag End anyway. She was the transport, and he had a note to pin up.

Another one of their group had gone off with the party of Dwarves and Gandalf earlier that day to keep an eye out for anything that looked suspiciously like a Shadow. Of course, Gandalf and the other Istari already knew about the Plainswalkers and their mission, but the others had no idea that the bulky human that was travelling with them was actually a T-800.

They'd left a couple of hours ago, eager to reclaim their mountain from Smaug. However, it was only five minutes ago that Bilbo Baggins had burst out of his front door, yelling "I'm going on an adventure!"

Sal and her friend, who had the form of Link from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, had waited until he'd vanished before landing on the top of the hill.

"Be quick." Sal muttered.

He nodded and quickly stapled the note he'd written to Bilbo's front door. 'If anyone enters this house while Bilbo Baggins is absent, we shall know exactly who you are. Leave his home and possessions untouched until he returns, or you will have us to reckon with. Signed, the Plainswalkers of Middle Earth.'


	35. Chapter 35: Ending the first quarter

**Author's note: So, Trial is finally complete! We've reached the last chapter. But this isn't the end. Cade's story will continue! It's been quite a learning experience for me, and I've had a lot of fun writing this weirdness for all you readers. If you're still here, thank you for sticking with me and my crazy ideas! I'm going to launch straight into the sequel story, and I hope to see you all there! And I will respond to reviews for this chapter and the previous one in the first chapter of that, so don't worry! I will see your reviews! Again, a massive thanks to everyone who kept on reading to this point! I do this for fun, but it's you guys who make it worth it! Enjoy!**

**With thanks to my Patrons:  
Regal Eagle**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Inheritance Cycle.**

**Beta read by Regal Eagle and Slack Frost**

* * *

**Chapter 35: Ending the first quarter.**

Sleep was a welcome relief. True sleep, that is. For some reason, we didn't have the option to shift to our Eldunarí. We could still feel them, but we just couldn't get into them. So we slept. And dreamed.

We were lying down in a sea of beanbags on the side of a floating mountain surrounded by clouds. A waterfall fell somewhere, producing a cloud of mist that fell away into a void of blue sky. Behind us, birds happily chirped in a rainforest, calling cheerfully to each other. And in front of us, a figure of orange light… Rift.

She sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the mountain, reading something that was like a book, but had holographic displays around the edges, displaying various pictures of regular people, like those back on Earth. Beside her lay a stack of more books. All the titles were written in a language that we couldn't read, except for one that said 'How to understand humans'.

"**Oh, you're awake." **Rift said, looking at us over her shoulder as she put down the book.

Not entirely sure what to do, we got up and awkwardly tried to bow. What kind of etiquette did you have to follow with one of the creators of the multiverse? None, apparently.

Rift sighed and gently said "**You don't have to do that. Treat me as an equal."**

Hesitantly, we sat down next to her and admired the view.

After a few minutes of silence, we asked "_That power we unleashed… did you give us some kind of boost?"_

"**No." **Rift said, shaking her head. "**That was all you. You had that power ever since your body was reconstructed into your current self. You just uncovered it."**

"_But it was you who spoke to us, right?" _Kevin asked.

"**Yes." **Rift said happily. "**I have to stay out of the realms. Void can track my energy signature, but you and the others who have traces of my power are strong enough to mask it, which allows me to speak to you. Did I get it right? I was going for inspiring and reassuring, but I'm not that good with human emotions."**

"_Yeah, we'd say you got that." _Sparta said.

Rift pumped a fist in triumph, then looked kind embarrassed as we laughed. "**Hey, I only have limited experience with humans, so I regard that as a positive! Ragnar's the only other Plainswalker I've ever brought here, but I don't think he wants to talk with me any more."**

"_Wait, what?" _Driscol asked in confusion. "_Where exactly is 'here', and why is Ragnar the only other Plainswalker you've talked to? And why do you think he doesn't want to talk with you?"_

Rift started fiddling with her fingers. "**This isn't real. Not really. It's my own space in the rift, but it's more like a mindscape rather than a physical place. And Ragnar is the only person I ever talked to because he's the first and only person to get in here. After we got over our shock and stopped blasting each other, we became… friends? I think friends is the right word. But we kind of fell out… He made me realise that in ways, I was no better than Void."**

"_How?" _Kevin asked.

Rift put her head in her hands. "**I… I don't want to talk about it. I made terrible, terrible mistakes, but I know that now, and I'm trying to become a better Primordial. It takes a lot for me to admit it, but… but I thought that if I started getting to know you all, then you could help me."**

"_Us. Help you." _We echoed in disbelief. "_You, one of the creators of the multiverse, need our help."_

"**Yes." **Rift said before briefly rifling through a book, skimming through a page and adding on "**Please."**

"_Well…" _we looked at each other and shrugged, "_why not?"_

Rift seemed to brighten and tentatively reached a hand over our shoulders, and tried for a gentle hug. "**Thank you, Cade. Or Kevin, Driscol and Sparta. Am… am I doing this right?"**

We nodded as we ignored the absolute insanity of the situation and hugged her back. Rift tensed up as our wing wrapped around her back and our hand rested on her shoulder.

"**Did… did we just become friends?" **Rift asked hesitantly.

"_Err… yes?" _we said, although it sounded more like a question than an answer.

"**Is that good?"**

"_Yes." _Kevin said. "_Definitely."_

"**Thank you." **Rift said as our… avatar for lack of a better term started glitching. Again, that wasn't the right word, but it was the most serviceable one. Rift sighed and broke the hug. "**You're waking up. Or your body is. You should answer it's call."**

"_But how do we get ourselves here to talk with you?" _We asked as we flickered, our senses jittering around.

"**Don't worry, I'll bring you here!" **Rift said. "**Now go! You don't want to get trapped here accidentally or something!"**

"_Can that even happen?!" _Sparta yelped as the mental world broke down, and we saw only orange light.

* * *

We shot awake and instantly had to fight the urge to throw up as our eyes flickered open. We'd lost our Rinjai aura, and we'd stopped glowing. Skölir was in pieces in a corner. An IV was attached into the back of our right wrist, and two heart monitors bleeped at regular intervals. A tesla coil was firing an arcing bolt of electricity at us, a low hum filling the air as the miniature bolt of lightning fired away.

We felt _very_ sick. Sick, tired, and drained. Then there was a gentle hiss of an injector, and something cool, refreshing, and a feeling like everything was right with the realms flowed into us. We sighed happily, and snuggled further into the bad we were sitting on as the tesla coil turned off and the hum died. Then we caught the smell of food, and our stomach growled like a lion.

Angela wiped her sweating brow as she stepped into our field of vision, injector in her hand. "Well, _that _was the most difficult it's ever been for me to keep someone alive."

"_What… happened?" _We asked with a groan. "_The last thing we remember is stabbing Durza."_

"Well, _Shadeslayer_, you saved everyone. Eragon's already told me about Durza being empowered by Shadows, and how you finally tapped into your Riftheart power. Of course, he had very little idea about what happened, but you're going to be faced with an onslaught of questions. I've already told the Elders about what happened, but they need events from your perspective."

We nodded, and began our account of facing Durza and what he said about the Shadows, going Rinjai, and us and Eragon killing him at the same time. We held back our conversation with Rift on Ragnar's orders, but Angela listened intently throughout our story.

When we finished, she sighed. "I guessed all that from Eragon's less than serviceable description. You did good for your first encounter with Shadow stuff, and your first big battle. Nobody important died, and you stopped a lot of casualties on the Varden's side. Now, are you opposed to guests?"

We weighed up how ill we felt with how worried Amara would be, and decided "_Nah, let them in."_

Angela pressed a button on a watch-like device on her wrist, and the room's door slid to the side. Amara, Eragon, Saphira, Murtagh and Arya entered. The doorway was just large enough to let the sapphire blue dragon through, but our cousin had to shift into her human form to get in.

Every one of them started talking at once, but Amara grabbed one of Driscol's horns and started shaking him around. "You! Massive! Knuckleheads! Do you have any idea how worried I was, cuz?! Do you?!"

"_Cuz, as good as it is to see you, if you keep on shaking me like that, I will throw up all over you." _Driscol said.

Amara sighed and gently started stroking the side of his face. "Sorry. We've all been worried. You, Eragon and Arya were all in critical condition. Arya finally woke up the day before yesterday, Eragon became conscious yesterday afternoon, but it's taken you much longer. Hell, you were glowing orange when I first saw you after the battle, _and _you had a massive hole in your chest!"

"_Did we?" _Sparta asked. "_I don't remember that." _

"_You did." _Saphira confirmed, her expression a mixture of worry and relief. "_Your armour had been blasted off, and there was a jagged tear the size of a dwarf in you. Your healing was regenerating it, but it was much too slow. You would have… You would have died if Angela had not tended to you."_

"_Really?" _Kevin said, trying to see our chest. "_Is it still there?"_

"_Congratulations on the fire-breathing." _Sparta said to Saphira, making her eyes sparkle in pride.

"_Thank you." _Driscol said, meeting Angela's eyes.

"Hey, like I said, our people look out for each other." She smiled, but we could tell how tired she was. "And no, you don't have some kind of crater inside you. After you took in enough energy, your regeneration took care of everything, but it took a good while to stabilise you enough for you to be able to do that."

Sparta locked eyes with Eragon. "_Nice work on that dual takedown with us, Shadeslayer."_

Eragon groaned, but managed to smile. "Everyone keeps calling both of us that! I only killed him with Arya and Saphira's distraction, and your help. I'm no hero."

"Yes you are." Murtagh said, patting Eragon on the shoulder. "Only two people before you have managed to kill a Shade. You should be proud!"

"_Humility, the mark of a true hero is." _Kevin smiled, adopting a yoda-like voice.

"_We'd give you a fist-bump, but we're too tired to move much." _Sparta added. "_Still, Murtagh and Jedi Master Kevin are both right. You're a hero, but don't let it go to your head."_

"That is wise." Arya agreed. "Fame is just as dangerous as a sword can be."

"_You have done exceedingly well, Cade-finarel." _Islingr said in a gap between all the talk. "_You have not just killed a Shade, but a Shade enhanced by forces beyond Alagaësia. If everyone knew the real risk that you faced, the deeds of both you and Eragon would be sung of until there would be no one left to sing."_

There was a pause as we acknowledged the praise before Driscol asked "_So, what happened after Durza died?"_

Kevin smirked. "_You mean he was shot through the heart, and we're to blame. He gives Shades a bad name."_

Angela, Amara, Sparta and Driscol all glared at him, but the Alagaësians didn't pick up on the crappy joke.

"After you lost consciousness," Arya said, "I used my magic to slow the shards of the Star Sapphire to a halt, and then fell into slumber from overtaxing my reserves of magic."

Murtagh picked the story. "The Shade's spirits then screamed out of Farthen Dûr. Everyone watched them go, and it was as if a spell was broken, as the Urgals all began to fight each other! We routed them after that!"

"And the remains of their army either fled into the tunnels, or met their death at my claws." Amara smirked.

"_So all's well that ends well?" _Sparta asked.

Eragon shook his head mournfully, and a little enviously. "I… I have a scar from my right shoulder to my left hip, and unlike you… my wound didn't heal. I am disfigured."

We locked eyes with him. "_Listen to us. When we first realised that we were… different, we freaked out. We thought we were broken, irreparable, damaged goods. But we learned how to live with it. You're only disfigured if you allow yourself to be. Prove to yourself that you can beat what you think is an infirmity."_

He nodded in understanding, and Saphira looked down on him fondly. "_Whatever you may be, you will always be mine, Little One."_

"And you mine, Saphira." Eragon smiled up at her.

"_And we'll be somewhere in the mix." _We smiled.

"And so will I." Amara promised, patting Driscol's neck.

"As will I." Arya said.

"Me too." Murtagh smiled. "Together, we defeated an army of Urgals and a Shade! What would it take to stop us?"

* * *

**Next time…**

"Your punishment is at hand!"

"**You're the most powerful of the Plainswalkers. If anyone can do it, it's you."**

"This is where you come from? This is what you are?"

"_...Yes. This is what we are."_

"**This will hurt, but if you survive… you'll have everything you wished for."**

"_I won't let you do this alone."_

"_No, this is my fight."_

"**FEAR ME, PLAINSWALKERS! DARKNESS CONQUERS ALL!"**

"_Not while I still stand."_

**Where Lightning Strikes, Thunder Follows. Coming soon.**


	36. The sequel is here!

**The sequel to Trial is here! Look up 'When Lightning Strikes, Thunder Follows' on my profile. I hope to see you all there! :D**


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